Little ShaDows
by Maximum Miles Hedgehog
Summary: When Shadow is shrunk down to three inches he has to depend on Amy Rose to keep him out of harm's way. And she does alright...Well, except for stepping on him once, but you know, these things happen...
1. Chaptero Uno

**Little ShaDows**

Chaptero Uno_ (A wish gone horribly wrong)_

Shadow the Hedgehog sat perched on the ledge of an apartment building, one leg hanging over the side while the other was raised up, allowing his arm to rest on his knee. It was nighttime and the city was almost completely quiet but for the distant murmur of traffic. The sky was clear and the shining moon was full. Yet for all the endless amount of black space, there was only a single, tiny star in the sky. Shadow found himself focusing on that little star and, without realizing it, began directing his inner musings towards it.

_'It must get lonely being up there all alone.' _he thought. _'Surrounded by darkness and silence, nothing to hear but your own hollow thoughts... But then again, though I can't see them, there are always millions of stars around. You are never truly alone, unlike me...'_

He hesitated, unsure if he should continue. The conversation was about to get personal and Shadow wasn't the type to lay his feelings bare before anyone or anything, even if what he was talking to was a lifeless mas of gas burning millions of miles away in the vacuum of space. Still, he felt he needed to get this off his chest.

Coolly diverting his gaze sideways, he continued on.

_'I too have friends, if you can call them that. They're more like associates I only see when there's some sort of trouble brewing. Not that I want to see them more...I suppose I wouldn't care all that much if I did, though. It could be...nice. Sometimes. I guess...Maybe...' _he felt his cheeks grow warm and scowled at the sensation.

_'What am I saying?_ _The only thing those idiots ever do is get in my way, especially that faker. I'm better off on my own. Plus, it's not like I have a reason to hang around them...'_

His expression softened. He turned his crimson eyes back to the star, feeling a strange openness in his chest as peculiar words started to form in his throat. They wanted to be spoken and he so desperately wanted to speak them, but he knew his pride wouldn't permit such sentiments to be uttered aloud. And so instead, he spoke within himself, revealing the deepest desire of his heart in the softest whisper.

_'I wish I had a reason.'_

The star flickered. For a moment Shadow wondered if it had really heard him, but then his cynical realism returned and he concluded that he was thinking too much. His pleasant mood turned glum, he soon left the apartment roof and shortly thereafter...the little star disappeared from the sky.

**ooOOoo**

_"Shadow..."_

The ebony hedgehog turned his head in the direction of where the voice had come from and was surprised to find a small light there. Sparkling like a firework, it hovered amidst the darkness, seemingly close enough to touch and yet, at the same time, appearing too far away to reach. Shadow stared at it in wonder.

_"Shadow," _spoke the light again, its ethereal voice holding a girlish charm. _"You were so kind to sit and talk to me. I am small and seldom noticed by anyone, and my loneliness sometimes feels too great to bear. But tonight you were there and my loneliness was forgotten because of your presence. Now I want to give you something in return for being a friend to me. Shadow the Hedgehog...your wish is granted."_

With that said, the light rapidly expanded, engulfing Shadow in a blinding white. Gasping, his eyes shot open, revealing the whole encounter to be nothing but a dream. He was in his bed, curled up in a fetal position on top of the covers, the position he had taken when he had first laid down. The darkness of night was letting up and he could make out the time displayed on his digital clock without squinting. Much to his chagrin, the extra large numbers read 6: 02.

_'Great...' _he muttered inwardly, but then something occurred to him. The numbers on his clock never looked _that_ big. And the lamp beside the clock never stood _that_ tall. And the photo next to the lamp, the one he hated and kept declaring he would get rid of because it featured his "friends" giving him a death hug and grinning like morons, well, it was practically the size of his tv.

A feeling of dread settled over Shadow. Slowly he sat upright and examined himself. Tiny hands. Tiny legs. Tiny body. Everything on him was midget sized! Heck no, he would probably resemble an ant to a midget! It was impossible. Illogical. It was something that would only happen in fairytales and Shadow did not believe in fairytales. He had to be dreaming. Yes, that made sense. Right now he was having some weird dream in which he was shrunk down to a measly three inches. Because something like this couldn't happen in reality, right?

_'Oh hell...'_


	2. Chapter Two

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Two _(In which the greatest danger of being three inches tall is painfully realized)_

Where in the world was he? Shadow had warped out of his apartment an hour ago, intending to go to Rouge's place, only to find himself lost in a neighborhood utterly unfamiliar to him. And to make matters worse, his Chaos powers had decided to stop working. Now he was stuck wandering down a seemingly endless road, his bare feet bruising from the roughness of the ground. Unfortunately, his shoes hadn't been shrunk along with him.

_'This is ridiculous!' _he growled inwardly. _'How in hell is this supposed to answer my wish?'_

In his anger he kicked at a small stone, which instead of flying off, proceeded to remain in its spot and deliver a fierce blow to Shadow's big toe. He went rigid, biting down hard on his bottom lip to hold back the cry threatening to break forth from his mouth. Tears of agony prickled the corner of his eyes.

_'If you are listening to me, star, know this-I will never forgive you!'_

To his surprise, the star then spoke, her light voice carried on a breeze. _"Look to your left..."_

_'Why?' _he demanded but turned his head anyway. Not too far from him stood a little yellow house, disgustingly cheery and obviously belonging to a female as no self-respecting male would dare plant bright pink flowers in front of his home. The place didn't look familiar.

_'Okay...it's a house.'_

The star giggled and Shadow's ear twitched irritably at the sound. _"Silly, read the sign."_

Though annoyed at the nickname he was given, Shadow did as the star told him. His expression brightened somewhat when he saw the name painted on the the wooden sign. This was Amy Rose's house.

_"This is all the help I can give to you. You have to do the rest on your own, Shadow."_

_'Help? If you want to help me you can start by making me normal.'_

The star didn't respond. Shadow glared at the sky.

_'Some friend you are. First getting me into this predicament and then telling me I have to find my own way out of it. Well, that's fine by me. I'm better off on my own...'_

His gaze trailed back to Amy's house. She would probably be more trouble than help, but what other options did he have? He started forward, limping ever so slightly...

**ooOOoo**

Hammer polished and dressed to kill, Amy was more than ready for another day of chasing her elusive blue "boyfriend".

"Today I'll get Sonic to go on a date with me for sure!" she proclaimed, clenching her fist in the air. "When he sees me in all my feminine charm, he'll no longer be able to resist the attraction! Then he'll confess his undying love and we'll get married and buy a big house for all the little Sonics to run around in. Eeee!"

She squealed in delight, bouncing up and down excitedly. This was it. Her dreams were going to come true today.

"Onwards to true love!" she shouted and rushed for the front door to her house.

Sonic was going to be hers. She was going to get her first kiss. They were going to marry in a beautiful outdoor ceremony with cherry blossom petals raining down on them as they exchanged vows. And what would they name the boys? Dash sounded pretty good. Flash, too. Ooh, if she had twins she could make their names rhyme!

_'Sonic, here I co-'_

"Yeee!"

Amy had taken two steps out of her door when she heard a shriek and felt her foot come smashing down on top of something. Horrified, she immediately pulled her foot back, revealing a strange sort of black creature. It lay motionless.

"Omigosh, omigosh..." she muttered, cupping her hands over her mouth. Slowly she knelt down to examine the poor creature. A closer inspection revealed it to have red stripes and a white patch on its chest, which reminded her of...

Her eyes grew wide in disbelief. "Shadow?"

He moaned. Her heart skipped a beat.

He was alive!


	3. Chapter Three

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Three _(The predecessor of many more headaches to come)_

Pain greeted Shadow as consciousness returned to him. His head was throbbing like crazy and every muscle in his body was aching. The pain pulsing throughout his right arm was especially distressing.

_'Probably broken.' _he thought. _'Figures something like this would happen on the worst day of my life.'_

That star seriously needed to take a course in wish granting because she was missing the mark entirely. A wish granted was supposed to make one's life happier, not fill it with sorrows.

Shadow frowned. As if his life could ever become a happy one. The very nature of what he was canceled out the possibility of happiness. He knew this well, but then why had he made that wish?

_'Moment of stupidity.'_ Yep, that summed it up.

_"Shadow...?" _someone called in a hushed tone. It wasn't the star this time he could tell, but the voice was still familiar. He was too tired and sore to want to think about it, though, and so decided to ignore whoever it was and pretend to be asleep.

_"Shadow, are you up?" _the voice asked. He kept his eyes shut and his breathing even. Silence followed and for a moment Shadow thought the person had gone away. A sudden sharp pain in his arm told him otherwise.

He had just been poked. Hard. In his right arm. It took all his willpower to keep his face neutral and not grimace.

But the person didn't poke him once, but twice, and then again and again and again and again...

Enough was enough. His left hand shot up and grasped the offending finger, the action earning a startled squeak from its owner.

"Don't. Do it. Again." he spoke through clenched teeth, his eyelids cracking open to reveal a pair of glaring red orbs. The emerald green eyes of Amy Rose stared back down at him.

She smiled slyly. "I knew you were awake."

"You stepped on me." he stated. "And broke my arm."

Her smile disappeared, replaced with a look of guilt and worry. "I d-did? Oh, Shadow, I'm so sorry! Which one is it?"

"The one you were assaulting."

"...Oh." She gave him a nervous, apologetic smile. "Sorry."

"So am I..." he muttered, looking away from her. Amy felt terribly awkward in the subsequent silence until she began examining the black and red hedgehog lying on a pink pillow in her bedroom. He was so incredibly adorably tiny! His ears were all widdle and his nose was all widdle and his hands-Oh gosh! His widdle hand was holding her finger!

She bit her lower lip to repress a girlish squeal. It was simply too much cuteness to take in! Imagine if it was Sonic who was three inches tall instead of Shadow...

"Sonic!" she shouted abruptly, giving Shadow a jolt. "Shadow, Shadow, Shadow, how did you do it?"

He glared fiercely at the pink hedgehog for upsetting his headache. "How did I do what?"

"How did you get so small?"

"That's not important. I need your help in getting back to normal."

"Why would you want that? You're perfect!"

Shadow raised an eyebrow. What the hell was she going on about? He was smaller than a midget, he couldn't use his Chaos powers, and he had gotten freakin' stepped on! What about this situation was perfect?

"Please tell me, Shadow! Please please please! I'll do something nice for you in return!"

"If you want to do something nice you can start by shutting up."

She puckered her lips, glaring at him. "You know, you have a way of turning people off with your attitude."

"I'll have to watch that. Now listen, I need to find a way to return to my actual size. I was going to ask Rouge for help, but when I used Chaos Control I ended up here instead of at her place."

"Why don't you just try it again?" Amy asked.

"Because I can't."

"Why not?"

"My Chaos Control isn't working."

"Why not?"

His ear twitched. "I. Don't. Know."

"Oh...Well, I don't think someone like Rouge would be of much help. It's not like she's a scientist. Tails kinda is, though. If anyone can figure out how to get your height back to normal, I bet he could. He might not be up right now since he and Sonic were having a movie marathon last night and probably stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, but we could still go over to his place and check."

"Fine by me." he said, but a thought suddenly occurred to him. Sonic might be there. If that faker saw him in his current state he would never hear the end of it.

"Okay then, we can leave right now." said Amy.

"Wait. I think it might be best if I stay here..."

"Why?"

"Last time I was outside I was stepped on."

"I'll carry you."

"My arm is broken."

"I'll be gentle. Promise."

_'Yeah sure, gentle your foot...' _"No, I'll stay here. You talk to Tails and see if he can help, but don't mention my name to him."

"Why not?"

He sighed wearily and closed his eyes. "Let's just say I want to keep this a secret between you and I to avoid unnecessary grief."

"You mean like Sonic finding out and teasing you about it?"

Surprised by her words, he cracked open a eye and saw her smiling mischievously. Damn, she was smart.

"Shadow the Hedgehog, my lips are sealed."

He grunted and closed his eye again. Sleep was sounding real good right now. But at the moment he felt himself drifting off, her voice came again, cutting into his fragile peace. He just couldn't get a break today, could he?

"Um, Shadow?" Amy called.

"What?"

"You're still holding my finger."

"..."

He released her, playing cool about it by keeping his expression impassive. But Amy smiled at the slight change in the coloring of his cheeks. If he was Sonic she wouldn't have hesitated to glomp him.

_'If only...'_


	4. Chapter Four

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Four _(Watch your back-Amy doesn't always play nice)_

"Shadow, I'm back!" Amy announced upon walking through her front door.

Shadow was still lying on a pillow in her bedroom, but he was wide awake. And starving. He hadn't eaten breakfast that morning and it seemed too much of a hassle to try and find something while Amy was away, what with his height condition and his broken arm. So when he awoke from his hour long nap, he decided to simply wait for her return. Eleven mind-numbing hours later, she was finally back.

"You're up. Good. I bought some stuff for you." she said, coming into the room and dropping a bunch of bags on top of the bed.

"Where the hell have you been?" Shadow asked. To say he was ticked off was putting it lightly.

"Well, I went to Tails' place first, but he was dead tired so I said I'd come back later. And then, let's see...Oh yeah, I returned a book to the library and got sidetracked while I was there by this really interesting novel about a normal girl who falls in love with a sparkly vampire guy." Here she gazed off and sighed dreamily. "Forbidden love is so romantic...I brought the book home with me if you want to check it out."

"I think I'll pass." came Shadow's cold reply. "Is that all?"

"Hm? Oh no, of course not. I met Cream for lunch after the trip to the library, and then we went shopping for a few hours and I bought this really cute mini skirt that Sonic is gonna love. Wanna see?"

"No."

Amy frowned, crossing her arms. "You know, you're being a real killjoy right now."

"I have every reason to be."

"And what makes you think so?"

"I've been shrunk, stepped on, tortured-"

"I didn't know your arm was broken!" Amy nearly shouted in her defense.

"And," Shadow continued. "I've had to lay here the entire afternoon, without a single thing to eat all day, waiting for your return. I believe those reasons are more than adequate enough to justify my bad mood."

Exchanging glare for glare, Amy tried to think up a counteracting argument, but his reasoning did make a lot of sense. She herself would have probably handled the situation far worse than him if their places had been switched.

"Oh fine." she huffed, defeated. "Be a sourpuss then. But look at what I got you!"

Her cheeriness was back full force as she started digging into her shopping bags and pulling various objects out from them.

"I went to this super fancy toy store and found some really neat stuff there in your size. Like this little toy hair brush and tooth brush here that work just like the real things." She briefly showed him the items before placing them down on the bed. "And here's the cutest little blanket! Shadow, it is so soft."

"And pink." Shadow dryly observed.

"Well, yeah. A lot of this stuff came as accessories to dolls. I just pulled them out of the packages and gave the dolls away to this adorable little girl at the store who was missing her two front teeth. Ooh, lookey at this cool little jacket I found! It's made with real cotton!"

"Wonderful..."

"I got these really cute pajamas for you, too, and these scarves, a mini tea party set, and a stuffed hedgedoll who looks just like me! See? We even have the same eyes!"

She wagged the pink thing excitedly in his face and then laid it next to him. Even without looking he could feel the doll's stare, its soulless green eyes watching him, its mouth ever smiling...Shadow scowled. He was not sleeping with _that_ beside him.

"But I saved the best for last." Amy declared and reached inside the bulkiest of all the bags. "I. Got. You...a house!"

Shadow was struck speechless. Did she just pull out a dollhouse? _A dollhouse?_

"Just think, Shadow, you'll never have to pay any bills or mortgage, and you don't hafta worry 'bout insurance cos if it ever gets damaged we can just go and buy a new one for fifty bucks! And you act like being small is a bad thing."

"Are you serious?" Shadow asked, finding it hard to believe what he was hearing. Was she honestly proposing that he live in a child's plaything?

"Of course I'm serious! I wouldn't have spent the money if I didn't think it was a good idea. And don't say you're not living in it."

"I'm not living in it."

"Shadow-"

"Amy, that is a dollhouse."

"So?"

"It's pink."

"We'll paint it."

"The door is too small."

"You can bend down."

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "I will not go there with you again."

"Because you know I'll win?" she asked, smirking.

"Because I refuse to stoop to your level."

"Funny, I thought you were trying to get up to my level."

His eyes widened slightly. Amy smiled victoriously.

"That's two for me and none for you. Better step up your game, Shadow. Oh, but then again, the steps might be too high for you to climb."

Shadow glared daggers at the pink hedgehog. She was actually taunting him!

"If you can have an attitude than so can I, Shadow the Sourpuss." Amy said and stuck her tongue out at him. "Now I'm going to go make dinner. Try to lighten up a little, will you?"

"I lost more than half my weight today. How much lighter do you want me to get?" he practically snapped.

She rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, very funny. I didn't know you had a sense of humor."

"I don't."

Amy gave him one last smile and exited the room, leaving the dollhouse and the rest of the junk she had bought on the bed. Thus once again Shadow was alone with nothing to do but glare at the ceiling. This time, however, the atmosphere in Amy's bedroom felt off. It was then that he remembered the doll was still lying with him. Staring at him. Smiling at him...

It was going to be a long night.


	5. Chapter Five

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Five _(Of flowers and bushes)_

Amy hummed a little tune to herself as she prepared Shadow's breakfast, cutting his eggs and toast up so that he would have an easier time with them.

The memory of him last night at dinner caused her to giggle. She had made each of them a baked potato and had told Shadow she would eat whatever he couldn't. He had coldly dismissed her offer, saying he could handle it by himself. Ten minutes later, he was stuffed and the potato wasn't even halfway gone. Amy had taken away his plate without a word and he refused to look at her directly for the remainder of the day.

_'He's probably still in a mood about it, knowing him.' _she thought with a roll of her eyes. _'I gotta find a way to cheer him up a little. Being so gloomy all the time can't be good for you.'_

Finished with her preparations, she picked up both his and her own plate and headed to her bedroom.

"Breakfast is served!" she said, setting Shadow's plate on the bed and then plopping down herself. "Enjoy! Oh, and what would you like to drink? I have orange juice, apple juice, grape juice, milk..." Her words trailed off as she bit into her toast.

Shadow was sitting upright on Amy's pink pillow, his right arm in a sling she had made last night using material from an old t-shirt of hers. Thankfully the shirt had been white instead of pink.

He regarded neither Amy's presence or the plate of food she had brought for him, instead staring off in the direction of the window. His ear twitched slightly.

"Shadow, are you alright?" Amy asked when his silence stretched on too long. Maybe he really was still moping about dinner. Goodness, he needed to learn how to not take everything so seriously.

Shadow's eyes narrowed at the window. "I have to go." he spoke at last.

"Go where? You're not talking about leaving, are you?"

"I have to go." he repeated.

"Shadow, you're in no condition to go wandering outside alone. I know this might not be the ideal living situation for you, but it can't be all that bad. And I did promise to help you, remember? You just need to be patient and sit tight a while. I'll go visit Tails again right after we finish breakfast."

He rolled his eyes, finally turning his head to face her. "Amy, I have to go."

For nearly a minute they sat staring at each other before the lightbulb clicked on in Amy's head. A faint blush rose to her cheeks.

"Oh. That."

"Yeah, that." he said dryly. "And by the look on your face, I'm assuming you haven't given any thought to this coming up."

"Uh, no...not really..."

"Figures. I'll just go outside."

"Outside?" she exclaimed, her expression a mixture of horror and disgust. "Shadow, you can't do that!"

"Would you rather I use your sink?"

"What? No! Ew ew ew ew ew! That's so gross, Shadow!"

"Then I'm going outside."

"But what if someone sees you?"

"Unless your neighbors regularly peep through your bushes, I think I'll be fine."

Amy made a horrified gasp. "Not in my flowers, Shadow! You'll kill them!"

"Do you know what fertilizer is?"

"Shadow, stay clear of my flowers!" she demanded, pointing a finger at him. "I worked hard getting them all nice and pretty and I won't have you poisoning them."

Thoroughly annoyed, he closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine, whatever. Just show me where I can go."

**ooOOoo**

"I guess this one will do." Amy said, examining a bush growing in her backyard beneath the window which looked into her dining room. "Even though I really like this one, too..."

"Either make up your mind or I'll choose." Shadow threatened.

"Okay okay, you can have this one."

Frowning, she bent down and parted the leafy branches of the bush, depositing a roll of toilet paper inside. She then stood, brushed the dirt off her skirt, and stepped back.

"Go ahead." she said, sounding none too pleased.

Shadow grunted and disappeared within the bush.

"You could at least say thank you." Amy mumbled, pouting with her arms folded over her chest. She cast a final sorrowful look at the poor plant before turning her face away.

_'Oh well, at least my flowers are spared...'_


	6. Chapter Six

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Six _(A break of the painless sort)_

A month. That's how long he needed to wait. One month and he would be back to his normal, taller self. He just needed to be patient. Plus, what with all the fun he was having, the time was bound to pass quickly, right?

Like hell.

"Oh, come on, Shadow. Don't pout about it." said Amy, hands on her hips as she looked down at the glum faced hedgehog lying on her pillow. "A month isn't that long."

He didn't respond, keeping his intense crimson eyes staring at the ceiling. How the hell was he supposed to endure a month of this crap and retain his sanity-and whatever little remained of his dignity-at the same time? That cursed star...

"Moping isn't going to get you anywhere. Tails said he'd fix up his shrinky invention. It's just going to take a little time. He can't help it that he has a bunch of other important jobs to do right now as well."

Shadow remained silent.

After Amy's last visit to Tails' place three days ago, the fox reportedly began a search for a shrink ray he had invented a few years back. He had called Amy this morning to tell her he had found the shrink ray, but that a lot of work needed to be done on it before it was operational. And, since he was currently swamped with orders at his booming repair shop business, he could only work on the old machine every now and then when he had free time. Shadow, needless to say, was not pleased with the news.

"Hey, and in the meantime, think about all the fun stuff we can do!" Amy beamed. "Time flies when you're having fun!"

Shadow kept his eyes on the ceiling. Amy's smile drooped into a frown.

"You're gonna be a sourpuss no matter what I say, aren't you?"

"You catch on quick." he said, his tone void of emotion. But he didn't need to sound sarcastic for Amy to detect the mockery behind his words.

"Are you sure you don't have a sense of humor?" she asked with a wry smile.

"None whatsoever."

"Hmph. Well, by the end of this month you'll have one. Shadow the Sourpuss, I am going to do whatever it takes to make you a happier, friendlier hedgehog. Life is too short not to enjoy every moment you have."

His expression darkened. "Not mines..." he muttered just loud enough for Amy to catch. She immediately regretted her choice of words, seeing she had struck a bad chord with them. Shadow never liked talking about his immortality and it wasn't difficult to imagine why. To know you would live forever while those you loved eventually passed on had to be a terrible burden to bear.

She looked at him with compassion. It didn't seem fair that one person had to deal with so much. A tragic past and a future which was barely any brighter...How in the world did he cope with it all?

"Stop looking at me like that." Shadow spoke, breaking through Amy's deep thoughts.

"Looking at you like what?" she inquired.

"Like I'm some poor rag clothed orphan begging for food. I don't need your pity."

The harshness of his voice stung. She furrowed her brow and tried to explain herself. "I didn't mean it like that, Shadow. It's just, thinking about it-"

"Don't." he cut her off curtly. "My life and my problems are no concern of yours."

Amy wanted to protest, but his icy tone made it clear that he wasn't interested in discussing the subject any further. She wisely dropped it.

_'Now look at what you've done! You've made him more gloomy than before!' _her inner voice chided. _'Some friend you are.'_

_'Oh, get off my back!' _Amy snapped. _'I didn't do it on purpose.'_

_'Well, it would have never happened if you had thought your words over before you said them.'_

_'I did think them over! I just forgot about the immortal thing...'_

_'Tsk tsk. Always missing the bigger picture.'_

_'Oh, shut up!'_

_'You shut up!'_

_'Fish brains!'_

_'Go jump in a lake!'_

"That's it!" Amy shouted aloud. Fur standing on end and his heartbeat rapidly picking up its pace, Shadow looked at her like she had just lost her mind. Maybe she had. He wouldn't be surprised.

"Shadow, I know what'll raise your spirits!" she grinned, emerald orbs shimmering. "A bubble bath!"

He blinked wordlessly. A bubble...bath? What was that?

**ooOOoo**

It was something wrong. Very wrong.

The surviving remnants of his dignity were drowning in a bowl of bubbles, pink bubbles might I add. Shadow would never again be able to face himself in a mirror...

"The water isn't too hot for you, is it?" asked Amy. "It felt alright to me, but I like it really really hot."

"Hn..."

"Don't deny that you like it. When I was little, a nice bubble bath was all it ever took for me to get out of a slump."

"I decreased in size, Amy, not age." he said, glowering at the pink foam surrounding him. If you listened closely, you could almost hear the strangled cries of his dignity as it was pulled beneath the mass of bubbles, suffocating in the water below.

"I know that. Hmm, but what shampoo do you want to use? Summer Blossoms, Cutey Fruity, or Rainbow Mist?"

Shadow gave her an incredulous stare, his ear twitching.

"I think Rainbow Mist is more your smell, so we'll go with that." Amy decided for him, picking the shampoo container up from the dining room table. She popped open the lid and squirted a dollop of lavender shaded goo into her palm. "I'll shampoo for you."

"I can do it myself."

"You can't shampoo properly with one arm, Shadow."

"Watch me."

"No, I'm doing it and that's final. You just sit back and relax."

Before he could argue, her fingers were in his quills, massaging his head. He gritted his teeth. Did she know anything about personal space? Sure, he had resigned himself to the fact that she would often need to pick him up and carry him around, but that was as far as he was willing to go with the touching. She was crossing the line this time.

"Amy, get off..." The sentence was left hanging, his voice fading into silence. All of a sudden, the oddest sensation had washed over him-a calm he couldn't quite explain. He knew who and what had caused it, however.

Amy...and her fingers. Surprisingly, they were very...gentle. It was almost nice...Almost...

"Shadow, you were saying something?" Amy asked, a mischievous little smile playing on her lips.

"Don't get cocky." It was supposed to sound gruffer than how it came out, but he was finding it difficult to stay angry at the moment. He felt his entire body relaxing under her touch, his ears folding down, shoulders sagging, eyelids weighing heavy...Damn, she was really good at this.

Watching the effect her fingers had on him, her smile softened. "Don't fall asleep, Shadow." she teased in a near whisper.

Eyes closed, he didn't respond.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Seven _(Warning: this product could prove hazardous to infants and individuals three inches tall and shorter)_

Rushing into the living room, Amy plumped down on the sofa, causing Shadow to bounce in his seat. He shot her a glare but she paid him no mind, her eyes glued to the television.

"Here's your popcorn." she said, handing him the smaller of two bowls without taking so much as a glance his way. He grabbed it with a scowl.

The television went black and the room was plunged into darkness. Soon white words began to fade on and off the screen. Amy squirmed excitedly.

"Ooh ooh! Quiet, Shadow! It's starting!"

"I wasn't-"

"Shh!"

He narrowed his eyes at her. And she said he was rude...

The movie was of the horror genre. It featured a demonic woodcutter who had somehow risen from the dead (either the movie hadn't bothered to give a reason for this phenomenon or Shadow had been unable to hear it above all the screaming), a camp full of idiotic teenagers, and plenty of gruesome deaths as the woodcutter proceeded to catch the youths one by one and hack them to pieces with his axe, which he called "Betty" after his late wife. An hour into the torture session, Shadow wasn't sure what part of it he found most disturbing-the senseless gore, the woodcutter's freakish displays of affection toward his weapon, or Amy actually finding this entertaining.

_"Don't do it, Tony. Stay with the others, it's your best chance. Trust in Greg, he knows what he's doing. Please don't go. Please, Tony. Don't you know how cute you are?...Oh no...Oh no...Oh, Tony, don't go! He's waiting for you! He knows what you're thinking! Tony, stop! Tony!" _Amy's whispered pleas fell on deaf, dumb ears. Tony leaves, woodcutter appears out of the mist, Tony panics, runs, trips, sprains an ankle, and now he's screaming bloody murder as Betty does her dirty work. Good grief.

"This is ridiculous." Shadow muttered.

_"Shh!"_

"Stop shushing me."

_"Shh!"_

"Amy-"

_"Hush, Shadow!"_

His fists clenched. He was feeling about ready to bring out his own Betty...

Angrily he stuffed another buttery puff into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, but something didn't go down quite right this time. Unable to help it, he began coughing, albeit quietly to avoid bringing attention to himself. The kernel wedged in his throat refused to be dislodged, though.

_"Shadow, would you keep it down?" _asked Amy. But his coughing only grew worse with each second the blasted kernel remained stuck.

_"Shadow!" _Amy hissed, finally turning her eyes away from the television. _"Would you please-_"

What she then saw nearly made her heart stop. Shadow was doubled over, clutching his neck while hot tears flowed down his cheeks and a river of mucus streamed out from his nostrils. The poor hedgehog looked on the verge of death!

"Omigosh, Shadow! You're choking!" she cried.

He was too busy focusing on staying alive to even think of a smart response.

Panicking, Amy began slapping his back repeatedly in an effort to assist him. It didn't occur to her to drop the remote either.

"A-Ame...sto...no...e...elp..." Shadow tried to speak, but between his coughing and Amy beating his spine to the point of bruising, it was a rather difficult task.

"Come on, Shadow, get it out! Don't die on me!" She was crying herself, slapping him harder and harder, each strike doubling in force. "Get. It. Out!"

As the final word left her lips, she grasped the television remote with both hands and swung with all her might. Her swing made contact and suddenly Shadow was no longer on the sofa but flying through the air, speeding faster than an arrow across the room...and straight smack into the television screen. Amy gaped, eyes bulging.

What had she just done?

Shaking like a leaf, she scrambled to her feet and went for the lights. She then hurried back to kneel beside Shadow, who lay with his face buried in the carpet.

_"Please be alive, please be alive, oh, please, Shadow..." _she prayed, slowly reaching out with a trembling hand to turn him over. Never before had she been so happy to see those glaring crimson eyes.

"Shadow!" she gushed. "You're alive!"

His breathing was tremorous, his face was a mess, and he looked ticked off as hell, but he was alive! If she wasn't afraid of hurting him anymore than she already had, Amy would've snatched the ebony hedgehog up and enveloped him in a bone crushing embrace!

"Oh, Shadow, I'm so glad! I thought I...And I was so scared...But you're...you're alright!" Her eyes glittered with joyful tears. The sense of relief she felt was overwhelming.

_"What...the hell...were you...thinking?" _Shadow managed to ask in a hoarse whisper.

"Nothing at all!" she laughed. "But you're alright, so I guess it was a good thing!"

Not for his back.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Eight _(A decisive number)_

"Shadow, on a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate me on pretty?" Amy asked out of the blue one day as she and her tiny companion munched on grapes at the dining room table.

"How is this of any importance?" he questioned in turn, for some reason gazing hard at a berry he was holding.

"Well, Sonic is always running from me and I'm starting to think, well, that maybe I'm...I dunno..." she sighed. "I always thought I looked pretty nice, but maybe he doesn't think so..."

"This sounds like a conversation best had with another girl."

"But I want a guy's opinion. And I know you won't lie to make me feel better because you're always so blunt regardless of who you're talking to."

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't look offended. Actually, if Amy was seeing correctly, he appeared to be somewhat amused. "So I'm tactless?"

"Well, no...Okay, kind of, but it's not the bad sort. Sometimes..." she smirked. "There are times when you could be a bit more sensitive, though."

"And ruin my reputation?" he asked, giving her a little smirk back. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, your records are just stellar."

"I believe I hear envy."

"I believe you need to get your ears checked."

"Hn."

"Great comeback."

"Thank you."

She playfully tossed a grape at him, but he ducked just before it had a chance to hit his head.

"Pathetic..." he muttered, still smirking. Her eyes narrowed. She picked up another grape and tried again, but this time, to her surprise, he simply caught it.

"Better. Not."

"Oh, you are just asking for it!" She threw yet another grape, which he coolly sidestepped while taking a bite out of the one he had caught. The nerve of him!

Gritting her teeth and flattening her ears back against her head, she threw a fourth grape, a fifth, a sixth, a seventh, but he effortlessly evaded each one.

"Gosh darn you!" she shouted in frustration and hurled the last of her arsenal at him.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The berry inched towards its target. Amy watched in breathless anticipation. She had to hit him. She _was_ going to hit him. No way could she let him get off with being all smug. And he wasn't even attempting to dodge this time! Was the cocky bastard waiting till the last second?

_'You're not going to be fast enough, Shadow.' _she thought, smiling wickedly within herself. Victory was hers!

In the blink of an eye, time sped up again. Shadow's feet remained planted on the table. The grape whizzed forward. Amy was ready to jump out of her seat and celebrate her victoriousness.

And then the berry flew right past him. Ultimate. Ego. Deflation.

_'Impossible...' _Amy couldn't believe it. She had missed him!

"You finished?" Shadow asked, that infuriating smirk seemingly glued to his muzzle. She did her best imitation of his own glare.

"If that's the case..." He became silent and still. At first she was glad he had stopped smirking, but the way he was staring at her now was a bit...unsettling. Those cold eyes were peering so intently into her face. Solemn, enigmatic, a pinch frightening...and colored in the loveliest shade of red. Amy felt her cheeks grow warm. What the heck was she thinking?

"Eight." Shadow spoke at length. She furrowed her brow quizzically.

"What?"

His eyes remained on her for a moment longer, then frowning, he turned around. "I'm going to lay dawn. Don't bother me."

With that he hopped off the table and walked out of the room, leaving a confused Amy staring at the place he had once stood.

_'What was that supposed to mean? Does he want me to get him up at eight? Sheesh, why can't he just be clear about these things...'_


	9. Chapter Nine

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Nine _(What's in a word?)_

The sun was shining bright in the clear blue sky. A pleasant breeze was blowing, alleviating the heat of the afternoon. The melodious calls of songbirds filled the backyard. It was a perfect day to spend outdoors, just lying in the grass and enjoying the calm of nature. Shadow almost felt like smiling.

And then she had to come.

"Hey, Shadow, wanna play a game?" asked the pink hedgehog, hovering over him so that her head blocked his view of the sky.

He frowned. "No."

"It's a really fun one." she persisted. "But you don't have to do any running around or silly stuff. It's a nice sit downish kinda game."

"No."

"Aw, come on, Shadow. It's real easy. You like words, right?"

"...They serve their purpose."

"Well, it's a word game called Word Association. Have you ever played it?"

He didn't respond. She smiled.

"I'll tell you how goes. But like I said, it's real easy."

Amy took a seat beside him, crossing her legs. "Okay, the rules are simple. I say a word and then you say the first word my word makes you think of. And you have to say it fast. It's no fun if you take too long thinking about it. Got it?"

"What is the purpose of the recorder?" asked Shadow.

"Huh? Oh, that's just so I can...keep track."

He gave her a long, hard look. Her smile seemed innocent enough, but he got the impression that she was hiding something from him. He narrowed his eyes. Fine, he would play along with her, if only to find out her true motive for bothering him with this game. Amy Rose was not about to pull a fast one on him.

"So, are you ready?" Amy asked.

"...Yeah..."

"Okay, here we go." She clicked the voice recorder on and placed it in-between them. "Apple."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. That was a random choice.

"Come on, Shadow. Quick." Amy said, emphasizing her point by snapping her fingers twice. He scowled.

"Red."

"Crimson." she spoke in a heartbeat. When she meant fast, she meant fast.

"Blood." he answered, this time with only a slight pause.

"Warm."

"Eyes."

"Green."

"Pink."

She blinked, staring at him curiously for a moment. Then shaking her head, she continued the game.

"Slow."

"Fast."

"Run."

"Blur."

"Blue."

"Slow."

A wry smile stretched across Amy's muzzle. Shadow kept his expression impassive.

"Small."

"Star."

"Wish."

"Wrong."

"Right."

"Arm."

"Leg."

"Foot."

"Apology."

"Denied."

Amy gaped. The corner of Shadow's mouth twitched.

"Cold." she said, glaring halfheartedly at him.

"Life."

"Good."

"Bad."

"Past."

"Future."

"Bright."

"Eyes."

"Red."

"Blood."

"Heart."

"Cold."

"Want."

Want...What did Shadow want? Two weeks ago he had wished for an end to his solitude, but now he couldn't wait for the day he was able to go back to his life of seclusion. He wanted to be alone...didn't he? Why was he so unsure?

"Shadow." Amy called. He turned his head and their eyes locked. "What makes your heart cold?"

"What does it matter?" he asked, his tone oddly soft.

"Because I care."

"...Why?"

A wondrous smile bloomed nice and slow upon her lips. "Because," she said. "We're friends."

The word took him aback. "...Friends?" he repeated. It sounded foreign on his tongue.

"Mmhm. Is that alright with you?"

Was it? Was a friend what he wanted? Shadow stared into those sparkling pools of emerald. If he were to drown in them, would he mind? It was a strange and irrelevant question he knew, but he couldn't help but wonder. Amy was an annoyance. She was loud and bubbly and everything he hated in a person. But she was his friend...Was that alright?

"I guess..."

"Then so long as you want, we'll be friends." She turned the recorder off and picked up the device. "Game over. You want to come inside now, Shadow?"

Finally tearing his gaze away from her hypnotizing eyes, he looked to the sky. "I'll stay out here for awhile longer..."

"It is a nice day, isn't it?"

"...Yes, it is..."

Amy reached forward and stroked his quills.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Ten _(Set apart this dream I)_

She was in her room and yet it felt nothing like her room. Everything looked the way it should have looked, but she could tell there was something off about the place. It was too, too...what?

_'This feels weird...' _Amy thought, studying her surroundings. A sudden chill snaked up her spine. Without a doubt, someone was standing behind her...

She swallowed, reluctant to turn around and see who it was. For some reason her intuition warned that harm would come to her if she looked back. Would she die or suffer through great pain? Not knowing was a terror in itself. But her curiosity was also piqued. Who was it standing behind her? The presence felt familiar...

Something tugged at the hem of her pants' leg. Her heart skipped a beat at the contact, fear tensing her muscles and halting her breath. But wait. The hem of her pants? That meant whoever it was had to be awfully small.

_'Shadow!' _she thought with relief. She should have known.

No longer sensing impending doom, she turned around and looked down. A little black creature stared up at her, a mere silhouette without any distinguishable facial features but for its eyes, which were round and emitting a green glow. Amy frowned.

"Wait, you're not Shadow." She examined the little silhouette closely. Her eyes widened in realization. "Sonic?"

He nodded. She couldn't believe it. Was it possible? Could it be? Were her eyes playing tricks on her? She had felt his touch, though, and that meant he couldn't just be a figment of her imagination. So, did that mean Sonic was...he was actually...

"S-Sonic, is that you?" she asked again, a smile already working its way onto her face. He nodded. In an instant all her doubt was forgotten, washed away by an overwhelming surge of joy.

Amy cried out his name and fell to her knees, swooping him up into her arms. Yes, this is what she wanted. Her Sonic, her little Sonic! Hers to love and care for and adore forever!

"Oh, Sonic!" She pressed him to her cheek and he rubbed his head affectionately against her. It was a dream come true.

"We're going to be so happy together. I'll take care of you and I promise I won't ever step on you. Now and forever, it'll be me and you and..."

Her eyes shot open. Shadow! How had she forgotten him?

She held Sonic a short distance from her so she could get a clear look at him. "Sonic, where's Shadow?" she asked.

He blinked and cocked his head.

"Do you know where he is?"

He continued to simply stare at her. Amy furrowed her brow.

"Sonic, do you know where Shadow is?"

His eyes drifted to the side and she followed his gaze. Another little silhouette had appeared out of nowhere, but it too had the eyes and shape of Sonic. Now she was getting confused. There was more than one Sonic?

"What? I don't..." She shook her head and returned her attention to the first Sonic. "I don't know who that is, but it's not Shadow. Where is he, Sonic?"

Sonic looked sideways once more and when Amy did the same she was surprised to see another two additional little Sonic silhouettes standing nearby. Her confusion was becoming frustration.

"They aren't Shadow, Sonic!" she shouted at him.

His eyes flickered and she knew he was angry. He stood in her palms, clenching his fists. And then, right before her eyes, his form began to change, his quills morphing until they appeared exactly like that of Shadow's. Amy stared in awe.

"That's amazing." she breathed. "How did you? That's just...Wow. But..." Here her face fell. "But...you're not Shadow, Sonic. Please tell me where he is."

He shook his head and pointed to himself. She frowned.

"No, Sonic. I want Shadow! _My _Shadow!"

He stamped his foot and pointed to himself again, but Amy would have none of it.

"You are not my Shadow!" she declared.

Sonic's emerald eyes were burning hot and his body shook uncontrollably with rage. But Amy didn't care. She wanted her Shadow and she wanted him now!

"Tell me where he is!" she demanded.

_"What do you want with him?" _he shouted, grabbing his head in agony before his body exploded into an all consuming darkness. Amy's scream was cut short as her vision went black.

**ooOOoo**

Amy awoke with a gasp, heart pounding like a drum. She was lying in her bed. It had been nothing but a dream.

"Amy?"

Hearing his voice, she sprang upright. There he was, sitting on her pillow, right where she had left him. Right where he was supposed to be.

"Sha-Shadow..." A painful lump rose to her throat and tears welled in her eyes. "You're alright?"

"I'm fine, but you were screaming." he said.

"I...I had a bad dream..."

"I figured as much."

Amy stared miserably at him, sniffling. She didn't know why she was letting a silly little nightmare get to her. Shadow probably thought she was being pathetic. It was just that the dream had felt so real. And she had known the entire time that Sonic knew where Shadow was. He was hiding him from her and it made her so mad and...scared...She had been scared. Why?

Her shoulders trembled.

"S-Sorry." she hiccuped and wiped at her eyes. "It was just a stupid dream. Go...Go back to sleep. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

She shook her head, holding her face low to hide the tears from his view. "I am, really. It was just...nothing. It's nothing. Go back to sleep."

Shadow doubted it was "nothing", but if she didn't want him to press it, he wouldn't. They both laid down again, neither one getting much sleep for the remainder of the night.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Eleven _(In which Sonic enters the scene)  
><em>

"I thought you loved me. I thought what we had was real."

"It is real, Amy."

"Than why? Why were you with her?"

"It was nothing, Amy."

"Nothing? _Nothing!_ You call getting in bed with her nothing?"

"I never-"

"No! Don't you lie anymore to me! I believed you when you said she and you were finished. I trusted you!"

"We are finished, Ames! Anything you saw happen between us was just a fling. It was just in the moment. It has no impact on the way I feel about you."

"Well it does have an impact on the way I feel about you!"

"What...What are you saying? Come on, Ames, I know I did wrong and I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. It was just a mistake."

"Mistake my ass!"

"Amy, wait!"

_SLAP!_

"Don't you ever touch me again. We are through, do you understand? I don't want to see you or hear you or ever have to speak to you again! Go ahead and have your flings. But I swear I won't be one of them."

Duh Duh DUUUUH!

Shadow couldn't help a smirk nor the feeling of immense pleasure at watching Amy dump that jerk.

_'You deserve better than him, Amy. Far better.' _he thought. She was a true beauty of a woman, both inside and out. Smart, funny, and possessing a certain motherly grace that could warm your heart. And then there was her gorgeous face and curvaceous body. Even Shadow had to admit she was hot.

_'A bit too much, though.' _he decided. _'Her chest is too large for Amy and her eyes are too small. And blue. Green works better for her. I can't even imagine her with white quills...'_

His observations were interrupted by the familiar sound of the front door opening. Amy was back early from her shopping trip. It was a good thing too because he was about ready to head to the bushes...

"Oh Sonic, you really don't have to. I can manage." Shadow heard her say.

"No can do, Ames. I'm gonna make sure that ankle of yours is properly cared for."

Oh hell no. That voice could only belong to...

"How about we sit you down on the couch?"

It was rare that Shadow the Hedgehog panicked. Right now, he was as close as it got to freaking out. Sonic was in their house? He was coming to the couch? Had Amy gone and lost all of her bloomin' marbles?

"Um, okay." Amy agreed. Oh damn. Damn damn damn damn! This couldn't be happening. What was that girl thinking? And great Scots he needed to hide! Somewhere, anywhere...

"Here we go." said Sonic, gently lowering the wounded pink hedgehog into the overly plush cushions of her living room sofa. "Nice and easy."

"Thanks, Sonic."

"No prob. You got any ice?"

"In the freezer, but I can-" Before she could finish Sonic zipped off and was back again in a matter of seconds with a plastic bag filled with ice cubes.

"Madam?" he teased, smirking lightly as he handed her the bag. She smiled.

"Thanks, Sonic, really. It was enough that you carried me back here."

"Well, I couldn't just let you hobble all the way home. What kinda friend would that make me?"

Amy put the ice on her sore ankle, wincing at the cold touch. She still couldn't believe she had been clumsy enough to fall down those stone steps in the park. It was so embarrassing. She probably looked like a stupid weak damsel.

_'You fight Eggman and rarely ever get a scratch. You try to walk down stairs and you end up twisting your ankle.' _She rolled her eyes. _'Honestly, Amy...'_

"Hey, you left your tv on." Sonic noticed.

Amy raised her head. "Hm? Oh, yeah. Guess I did...Omigosh, Shad-!" she slapped a hand over her mouth. How had she forgotten him?

"Is something wrong?"

"No! I mean, n-no. Everything's fine. Just peachy!" she laughed nervously. "It's just this, um, ice...stings..."

She felt like hitting herself. Sonic, on the other hand, looked a bit concerned.

"You sure it's not broken?" he asked.

"Oh no, it's fine. Just...stingy..." Could she sound any lamer? Fortunately, Sonic seemed to buy it.

"Well, make sure you keep that ice on it." he told her. "I know it bites but it'll heal faster that way."

"Will do, Dr. Hog."

He grinned. "I am a hedgehog of many talents."

Amy returned the smile, albeit hers was considerably forced. She was trying to look around the room without arousing Sonic's suspicions. Shadow had been on the couch watching television when she left to go shopping, but he was no-where in sight now. That was good. If Sonic caught sight of him the ebony hedgehog would never forgive her.

"Wait, is this one of those Twiland books?" Sonic asked, picking up a library book which lay open and face-down on the couch. "I keep hearing everyone raving about these things but, honestly, I don't get the hype."

Amy didn't say anything. She was too busy staring wide eyed at the little black and red creature who had just been unwittingly uncovered by Sonic.

"Wow, this thing is huge. How can anyone sit through all this?"

Shadow sat stone stiff. Amy's heart was pounding like a drum. She started to lean to the side...

"Ugh, there's a lot of mush in this, isn't there?"

Her hand darted out, snatching the little hedgehog up, and stuffing him into her lap. Sonic promptly turned his attention to her.

She swallowed. "Uh, just...wiping...crumbs. Wiping crumbs." she repeated with more certainty. "It's kinda messy in here."

Shadow squirmed in her hold. She pressed him down further between her thighs.

Sonic gave the place a look around. "You know, messes are usually easy to spot, but I'm having a hard time finding yours."

"I guess it's one of those things you only notice if you live in the place."

Shadow continued struggling against her, his quills raking across her inner thigh. She suppressed a laugh and squeezed his sides, trying to send him the message to stop. Instead, he uttered a surprising squeak.

Sonic raised an eyebrow. She gave him a shaky smile, cheeks turning red. "The...ice?" she tried. He wasn't going for it this time, though.

"Amy, is something bothering you? You're acting kinda...odd."

She shook her head. "I'm fine, really. Just a little tired is all."

"Hmm, maybe you should get some rest then."

"That would probably be a good i-Ahahaha! No no no! Sha-Shadow, that t-t-tickles!"

Sonic blinked. Shadow? As in Mr. Moody McMoody? Why would she mention him?

"I mean, the ice, the ice!" Amy shouted. "It's this crazy ice! It t-t-t-t-t-" she was unable to get the word out, a fit of giggles making it impossible to speak.

"Wow. That's some real ticklish ice." Sonic commented, smiling crookedly, a slight furrow in his brow. "Maybe I should let you rest."

"Yes, please!" Tears were pricking her eyes. Shadow was killing her!

"Alright...I'll..." he hesitated. "I'll call you later. Promise."

"O-O-Okay!"

The moment she heard the front door open and then close, she shot upright and removed her hand from over Shadow.

"For Pete's sake, Shadow!" she yelled. "What is wrong with you?"

"I. Couldn't. Breathe." he puffed through clenched teeth, his tiny chest rising and falling shakily.

"You couldn't hold your breath for five seconds?"

"Not with you squeezing the air out of me, amongst other things."

"What?"

He rolled his eyes. "Outside. Now please or we'll both regret it."

"What are you...Oh gosh, Shadow, don't you dare!"


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Twelve _(Coming down with...something...)_

Amy sighed for the third time in ten minutes. It was noon, about the time she usually went out to shop or hang with Cream, but today she lay in bed, still wearing her silky teal pajamas. Her sprained ankle was wrapped and propped up on a pillow. Her normally bright emerald eyes stared wearily at the ceiling.

"Shadow, I'm bored." she moaned.

"I know." he said, lying in his usual spot. "You've told me five times already."

"No, I haven't."

"Yes, you have."

"No, I haven't."

He was silent. Amy turned her head to look at him. "Shadow, you're supposed to keep going until one of us trips up and says the opposite of what we meant to say."

"What is the point in that?"

She pursed her lips, thinking it over. "Dunno." she said at length with a shrug. "They're always doing it on the television, though."

"You base your life on the make believe scenarios you see on television?" he asked.

"It's not all make believe."

"No, just greatly exaggerated."

Amy didn't know what else to say. He had a solid point, after all.

Sighing again, she went back to staring at the ceiling. Having a sprained ankle was turning out to be more of a bummer than she initially imagined. She couldn't put any pressure on the blasted thing, which made walking a difficult task. The first day after she had sustained her injury, she and Shadow watched horror movies and baked cookies from dawn until dusk. Both hedgehogs suffered major stomach aches that night. On the second day Amy made Shadow play dress up, forcing him to wear the vast amounts of doll clothes she had been buying him. She also insisted on taking multiple pictures of every single outfit he wore, greatly adding to his chagrin. He had tried to avoid the entire situation by reminding her his arm was broken, but she promised to be gentle. And she had kept her promise...though it didn't make him any happier. Now it was day three and Amy hadn't the slightest idea of what to do. She never spent this much time in her house.

Another sigh escaped her. "Shadow, I'm-"

"I know." he cut her off, quite tired of hearing her complaints of boredom and not completely over being upset about yesterday's events. How could he not be upset? He was wearing pajamas. Pajamas! What the hell did he need pajamas for? Sure, they didn't feel bad. The fabric was soft and comfortable, and he didn't have any real problem with the red color. But...well...

His eyes narrowed. There was a reason he was against wearing these things. He couldn't think of it at the moment, but he knew there was a reason. Why did he even let Amy have her way with him yesterday?

_'The incessant pleading...' _he remembered glumly. She just went on and on and on, and he finally gave in to get a break from it all. Honestly, she was unbearable sometimes.

_'But her stubbornness isn't what truly bothered you.'_

The thought seemed to come out of nowhere. It was surprising...and true. Amy's pleading nor the subsequent dress up session wasn't what had Shadow upset. Yes, those two things had been annoying, but they weren't the root of his current bad mood. The root...was him. Not Amy, not the clothes, but himself. Why? Because each time he felt Amy's fingers brush against him...The way she gingerly slipped his broken arm into the sleeves of various shirts, whispering for him to hold still...How she smiled at him with those dazzling eyes while saying how good he looked...Her touch, her expression, and her words all gave him the strangest feeling in the pit of his stomach. He felt ill, but not a sick sort of ill. It didn't make sense. He was confused, but he didn't know what he was confused over. Perhaps he was thinking too much. But thinking too much about what?

He frowned. These thoughts were traveling in pointless circles.

"I still can't believe Sonic actually called me." Amy found herself musing aloud, effectively ending Shadow's jumbled thinking.

"I know he said he would, but usually he just forgets these things. I don't remember him ever calling me before...Do you think he's coming around, Shadow?"

"Coming around to what?" he asked, his voice cold. The Faker was the last subject he wanted to converse about.

"Coming around to liking me." she expounded. "I always knew he and I were meant to be together. I've just been waiting for the day he realizes it, too."

"How would you know something like that?"

Amy took a moment to consider his question. "I guess...you just know." she said.

"That makes no sense."

"Love isn't supposed to make sense."

"If that's the case, I want nothing to do with it."

"Everyone wants love, Shadow."

"I'm not everyone." His irritation was steadily increasing.

"But you are someone. Someone with a heart. And hearts are like engines that need fuel to run properly. Love happens to be the best fuel of all. It keeps you running happy and it has this magical way of spreading to other people's hearts, filling them up with happiness, too. There's nothing more important in this world than love."

"...That has to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

Silence. Shadow knew he had spoken out of line. He hadn't even meant to say those words. But he had said them and now he could feel his chest tightening in regret. His pride told him to forget it. No matter how sensitive the person he was talking to was, he never censored his speech. So what was the big deal? And yet his conscience refused to drop the matter. He knew he had done wrong. Even though he couldn't see her face, he knew he had hurt Amy. Was he willing to live with that?

It didn't take long for the answer to come to him. Amy was his friend, his first and only true friend. She was...She was...important to him.

He swallowed, knowing what he had to do. It wasn't something he practiced often, but when it came to Amy he was discovering he could do things for her he would never dream of doing for any other soul on the planet.

And this was something she deserved without question.

_"I'm...I'm sorry..." _There. He had done it. But would she receive his apology?

The seconds ticked by.

She didn't respond.

His heart clenched. Had she heard him? He was certain he had said it loud enough. Maybe he should try again and speak up a bit...

But before he had the chance, there was a sudden movement in the bed. At first, to his great disappointment, Shadow thought Amy was leaving, but then...he felt her warm breath on his face. He felt her lips press against the side of his head for a second which lasted forever. And, as she pulled away, his ears caught her hushed words: _"Forgiven, forgotten..."_

And just like that, his stomach illness from yesterday was back.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Thirteen _(Shadow Rush I)_

The pink hedgehog was ecstatic. The black hedgehog was supremely ticked off. The blue hedgehog was coming over for lunch!

"Oh, Shadow, this is it, this is it!" Amy squealed, bouncing up and down on her good foot. "Sonic's coming here!"

He scowled. "It's not the first time he's been over."

"No, but this time is different from all the rest. He's coming for me, Shadow. For _me_!"

Shadow glared daggers at her. After Sonic's last visit, he had thought Amy would try and keep him away from the house to avoid anymore unpleasantries. And then she went and invited him to lunch. He was seriously beginning to question her judgement.

"Oh, Shadow, do you think this looks alright?" Amy asked for the umpteenth time. She was wearing a simple white, v-neck blouse with butterfly sleeves and a mini jean skirt. It seemed nice enough to her, but you could never be sure about these things.

"It's fine." he almost growled.

"I don't know. Maybe it's too...too...I dunno." she sighed irritably. "What do you think?"

"I've told you what I think."

"I know, I know. I'm just...Oh, Shadow! Isn't this wonderful?"

His ear twitched at her sudden joyous outburst.

"Sonic's coming for lunch! I hope he likes what I made. Do you think he'll like what I made?"

Shadow only glowered at the bedroom door. He was done with all her redundant questions.

Seeing he was in complete misery, Amy decided to tone down her excitement and took a seat on the bed beside him, reaching out her hand to stroke his quills.

"Come on, Shadow." she said. "Cheer up. You've been extra grumpy lately."

"For good reason..." he mumbled.

"I know. You don't like Sonic. But I like him, so for me, as my friend, could you just try a little?"

If glares could actually transmit heat, there would've been a good sized hole burnt straight through the door. Like Sonic? That obnoxiously cocky, exasperatingly dim-witted faker? She was asking far too much of him. That annoying idiot was intruding upon their peace and she wanted him to be happy about it? Like hell.

"Shadow, please?" She implored gently. Her voice sent shivers racing down his spine. He felt his cheeks grow unnaturally warm and his stomach began acting up again. What in the world was going on with him? Not knowing made him even more upset.

"Do what you want." he snapped. It was her life anyway. If she wanted to date Faker, she could date Faker. What did he care?

Amy's smile faltered. That response wasn't what she had been hoping for.

"You can be unreasonably stubborn sometimes, Shadow." she told him.

"You're one to talk." he retorted humorlessly.

Her smile recovered a little. She pulled one of his quills playfully and stood.

"Sonic's gonna be here soon. You hungry for anything? I brought you a pack of nuts from the kitchen."

She grabbed a small bag of nuts from on top of her nightstand, opened it, and placed it next to the sulking hedgehog. A moment later a thought hit her. She hurriedly snatched the bag up.

"On second thought, maybe nuts aren't the best idea." she said, eyeing the package as if expecting it to be poisonous.

Shadow sighed, closing his eyes. "I can handle it, Amy."

"Listen," she said, hands on her hips. "I don't want to come back from my lunch with Sonic to find you lying lifeless with an almond stuck halfway down your throat. That was scary enough the first time."

"I would've survived."

"Not if I hadn't of been there. Now, let's find you something more suitable to...Oh, I know!"

She turned again to her nightstand and opened its top drawer. After depositing the bag of nuts inside, she pulled out another bag.

"I've been saving these." She ripped the bag open and grabbed an orange, roundish thing from within it, promptly tossing it into her mouth. "Mmm...Gummies...You'll like these, Shadows."

"What are they?" he asked.

Instead of answering, she handed him one. "Try it."

Shadow scrutinized the brightly colored food item he held in his palm. It felt...squishy...

"What is it?"

"Shadow, try it!"

The doorbell rang and Amy's ears perked up at the sound.

"Omigosh! He's here!" she cried. Shadow's glower returned.

"Okay, Shadow, settle down. Take a deep breath. Just relax."

"I-"

"Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh! Shadow, I'm so happy my cheeks are killing me!"

He gritted his teeth. The sooner this was over, the better.

**ooOOoo**

"It was real nice of you to come by, Sonic." Amy told the blue hedgehog as they sat at her dining room table.

He shrugged and smiled casually. "I just wanted to see how you've been. You're not around as much."

"Hm?"

"Well, you know. You don't, uh..." He scratched the back of his head. "Well, chase me anymore..."

She blushed, diverting her eyes. "Oh. Oh yeah. Guess I forgot..."

"Forgot to chase me?"

"Yeah, I mean no! I mean...uh...I've just been busy, I guess." She pouted slightly. Why was she losing her cool?

Sonic, oblivious to the girl's nervousness, sighed. "I wish I was busy. Things have been so slow...Egghead's been quiet, Tails is swamped with work, and everyone else is off doing whatever they do."

"You don't have anything to do, Sonic?"

"Not really. I'm bored to death."

Amy frowned, feeling a tinge of annoyance. "So, are you visiting me because you wanted to see me or because you were bored and had nothing better to do?"

"Huh? Oh, I..." he swallowed, looking away from her and scratching the back of his head again. "I wanted to see you, Ames. Honest. I've been, well, kinda..."

"Yes?"

"Well, you know..." He gestured with his hands.

Amy raised an eyebrow. Sonic groaned inwardly. This wasn't going as smooth as he hoped...

"Okay, I've been-"

_Knock knock knock!_

Both hedgehogs simultaneously turned their heads towards the sound.

"You expecting someone else?" Sonic asked, appearing none too pleased with the idea.

She shook her head. "Not that I remember..."

_Knock knock knock!_

Her frown deepened. That wasn't coming from outside her house but from inside. She gasped.

_'Shadow! Is he in trouble?' _She wasn't going to waste any time to find out.

"Um, I'll get it!" she said, grabbing her crutch and springing to her feet. "Don't move. I'll be back in half a second, Sonic!"

She hobbled out of the room speedily, not giving him a chance to speak.

**ooOOoo**

Amy burst into her bedroom and slammed the door behind herself.

"Shadow, what's-" she started to ask, but then she saw him. Standing there. Just standing there.

"Shadow?"

He was looking at his feet, his hands fidgetting and his ear twitching every few seconds. Amy blinked, taken aback by his strange demeanor.

"Shadow, are you alright?"

He nodded. Her brow furrowed.

"Why were you knocking?"

He shrugged. Okay, that was un-Shadowlike.

"Shadow, why are you acting like that?"

He shrugged a second time and rocked on his heels, refusing to raise his eyes to hers. Amy was dumbfounded. What was up with him?

"Well, if you're not hurt..."

He abruptly walked away. She gaped.

What the-?

**ooOOoo**

Taking her seat at the dining room table, Amy offered Sonic an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. Just a...thing...in my room..."

"A pet?" he inquired.

"Uh, well, sort of...I guess..." It was a good thing Shadow was absent. Amy knew he wouldn't take kindly to being called a pet.

"You can bring him out. I'm good with critters."

"Oh no, he's not...uh...house trained!"

Sonic frowned in thought. "Then shouldn't he be outside and not in your room?"

"Uh, well, you see, I have...newspapers! From corner to corner!" she beamed, pleased with her quick thinking.

"That does make sense." he said and smiled at her.

"Yep. That's me, Amy Rose, always thinking things through." _'Yeah, right...'_

"That's always been one of the biggest differences between us, I guess. You think before you act and I rush in head first and makeup things as I go along."

Amy forced a smile. _'We're not so different in that respect...'_

"But there has been one thing I've been, well, thinking of." he admitted, gaze drifting sideways.

"Oh, and what's that?"

He swallowed. It was now or never. "Honestly, Amy, it's y-"

_Knock knock knock!_

The hair on Amy's nape bristled. Sonic's eyes narrowed. _'Perfect timing...'_

What had gotten into that hedgehog?

**ooOOoo**

"Shadow, enough is enough!" Amy declared when she got to her room. "I know you don't like Sonic being here, but this is childish! Not to mention it's totally unlike you."

He stared at his feet, fingers still fidgeting and ear still twitching. If Amy didn't know better, she'd say he looked half-crazed.

Her eyes widened. Had Shadow lost it? But why? How?

"Oh no..." she breathed. "The gummies..."

That pack of candy alone wasn't enough to give her a sugar rush, but Shadow's body was far smaller than hers. All that sugar was bound to be too much for his tiny system!

_'Amy, you're an idiot.' _She could not agree more with her inner voice.

The feeling of something on her foot caught her attention. She looked down and surprise, surprise. There was Shadow, hugging her leg with one arm and rubbing his head against her. Her cheeks blazed hot.

"Sha-Shadow?"

He purred softly, lost in absolute bliss. Amy was trapped in-between immense embarrassment and the want to squeal at how adorable he was being. The latter was tempting, but...

She couldn't. Not now.

"C-Come on, Shadow. Stop that." She tried shaking her foot to dislodge him, but he simply grasped her fur and hung on.

She sighed, already exasperated with the situation. "Shadow, please..."

He ignored her and continued displaying his cutely disturbing affection towards her. This was getting them no where.

"Okay, fine."

She bent over, reaching out to grab him and forcibly pull him off. But he sensed the nearness of her hand and turned to face it. His ears drew back and he bared his teeth, hissing. Amy paid little mind to his show of aggression...until he tried to bite her finger that is.

"Eeep!" she yelped, her hand making a hasty retreat. "Shadow!"

"Amy?" Sonic's worried voice called from behind the door.

The pink hedgehog stiffened. This was not turning out well for her.

"Amy, are you alright?" he asked, sounding near frantic.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine!"

"I heard you scream."

"Oh, it's just my _pet_ tried to bite me." She glared at the blissful hedgehog nuzzling her leg.

"He tried to bite you?"

"Ahaha, yeah." she laughed lamely. "He's such a rowdy little thing. But don't worry, I'm fine. I think I'll put him to bed."

"Do you want me to help?"

"No, that's okay. He's crazy."

"Crazy?"

"Sick!"

"Crazy and sick?"

"No, um, yeah! He's crazy with sickness. Right. And I wouldn't want you to catch what he has, so, um, yeah..."

"Oh...Okay..." the disappointment was clearly evident in Sonic's voice. "Well then, maybe I should go. He probably needs you real bad right now."

Amy felt her heart go out to him. She hated to lie, but she had made a promise to Shadow...And she couldn't break it, not even for Sonic, the love of her life.

"That would probably be a good idea." she agreed sadly.

"Al-Alright. I'll, um, just see myself out. It...It was great seeing you, Ames. Lunch was fantastic."

"Really? Thanks, Sonic. It was great seeing you, too. You will come back, won't you?"

"...I will. Promise."

Her heart lightened. That was the second time Sonic outright promised her something. And if he didn't break his promise the first time...

She smiled. "I'll be waiting, Sonic."

The house fell quiet. Once again, it was only her and Shadow. She sighed.

"Oh, Shadow, you ruined everything..."

She should have been mad at him. Furious. But, looking down at the delirious thing, she found herself smiling instead.

"And you are acting ridiculously cute right now."


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Fourteen _(Shadow Rush II)_

"Shadow, don't touch that!"

"Hey, get back here!"

"I'm warning you..."

"Come here this instant!"

"Hey, I said don't touch that!"

"You are trying my patience, Mister!"

"Shadow!"

Amy had had enough. She had spent the last hour chasing after the hyperactive hedgehog, trying to keep the crazed creature from hurting himself. And her crutch wasn't making her job any easier. It had been weird having Shadow cuddle her earlier, but she preferred that to his mad running about. She would have kept him locked up in her room if he hadn't of needed to go the bathroom at one point. The second they had stepped back inside the house, he jumped from her hand and the madness began. And unfortunately, he was smart enough not to go in a room where she could close the door on him.

"Shadow, if I have to call your name one more time!" Amy shouted, making her way to the kitchen. She had half a mind to spank his tail once she managed to catch him. He was behaving like a two year old, after all!

Entering the kitchen, she found him walking rapidly in a circle on the tiled floor. The poor thing seriously didn't know what to do with himself.

"Shadow, stop that before you make yourself dizzy." she ordered with a weary sigh. He paid no heed to her words. As if she had expected him to...

"Shadow, don't make me come over there."

He continued walking.

"You're not gonna like it if I come over there." she warned.

Walking, walking, walking...

"Okay, I'm coming over there." Amy made a move forward and his steps came to an instant halt. She blinked, surprised that had actually worked.

Big, sparkling red orbs looked up at her, innocent as could be. She frowned, however.

"Don't you try that with me, Mister!" she scolded. "You covered my bathroom with shredded toilet paper, nearly broke my lamp, and you had me chase you around for an hour! You deserve punishment and, Shadow the Naughtyhog, that's exactly what you're gonna get!"

His ears drooped and his expression became doleful, delivering a powerful blow to Amy's resolve.

_'Ooooh, he's so cute!' _her inner voice exclaimed.

_'He's a little monster!' _Amy snapped back.

_'But he wooks all sworry...Wet's give him a hwug!'_

_'He deserves punishment!'_

_'Hugs hugs hugs!'_

Ugh, even her own mind was exhausting her!

While she was momentarily distracted, Shadow took the time to clamp onto her leg once more, nuzzling her affectionately. She heaved a sigh, shoulders sagging in defeat.

_'Well, I did say I preferred it...'_

**ooOOoo**

Amy made it back to her room without incident, Shadow clinging to her leg the entire trip. She closed the door to prevent him from escaping before plopping down on her bed.

Maybe she should reconsider how many kids she someday wanted to have...

"Okay, Shadow. I'm taking you off my leg." Amy announced to him. "Bite me and I'll slap you."

Shadow's muscles tensed at her words. She reached down slowly and he examined her hand warily, sniffing it, but didn't attempt to bite her.

"That's a good, Shadow. Come on, why don't you come up here with me?"

His eyes brightened and he latched on to her hand. She raised an eyebrow. Boy, was he acting funny.

She lifted him to the bed and set him down. He zipped to her side and took a seat, remaining still but for all his fidgeting and twitching. His wide eyes stared blankly ahead.

"You know, when I said I wanted you to lighten up, this isn't exactly what I meant." said Amy, looking at him. "You've been a little terror today, you know?"

He was unresponsive. She sighed.

"This has been really weird. I know it's you right here, Shadow, but you're not acting anything like yourself. It was kinda cute at first, but...I kinda miss you. I mean, you know, the real you. Your mopeyness can get a little annoying sometimes and it would be nice to finally see you smile for once, but...I really like the way you are. If you were to change, it just wouldn't be the same. You wouldn't be you."

His involuntary movements ceased. Amy smiled at him and stroked his quills.

"It would be really really nice to see you smile, though..."

Shadow suddenly leaned forward and pushed himself up, standing on shaky legs. He wobbled a short distance away.

"Shadow?" Amy called, concerned. He stopped walking and turned around to face her, his sleepy eyes half-lidded, expression impassive.

Her countenance brightened. He looked a tad bit more like his usual self. The effect of the candy must have been wearing off.

And then the impossible happened.

The corners of his lips twitched, defying gravity as they were pulled upwards. His eyes, though tired, shone with a strange light they seemed to produce all their own-a light which came from within themselves. Amy felt the breath get knocked out of her lungs. Her mouth fell ajar.

Shadow was...he was...

"Sha-Shadow..." She couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing.

The ebony hedgehog tapped a hand over his heart. Amy blinked and swallowed, trying to collect herself.

"Y-Your chest?" she stammered. He shook his head.

She frowned slightly. "Your heart?"

He nodded and clenched his fist, holding it out to her.

"What?"

Shadow repeated the motion without spoken explanation. Perplexed, Amy searched for some clue of the meaning behind the gesture by peering into his face. His eyes were so warm and bright...She had never seen him look at her like this before. With such tender affection...

Her heartbeat quickened. The veil was removed from her. She knew, she knew...

And she couldn't believe it.

The urge to sleep finally overpowered Shadow. His eyelids closed and he collapsed, out like a light before he hit the bed. Amy sat frozen, unable to tear her eyes away from his slumbering form.

Shadow...he had said...he lo-

She clapped a hand over her mouth. The thought was too much. He had to be joking...But Shadow didn't joke, not really. Perhaps the candy had been speaking. Yes, that made sense. It was just the sugar in his system...

_'No...__'_ Amy realized, shaking her head. She had seen his eyes and they had been real. She had seen it, she had felt it...

Her heart skipped a beat, eyes widening in realization._  
><em>

_'No...I felt...I felt...'_

The same.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Fifteen _(Out of the darkness, into the light, now bury out of sight)_

How had this happened? When did it happen? And how had she not noticed until now?

The questions plagued Amy all night and straight into the morning. She hardly got a wink of sleep, unlike Shadow who slept deeper than he had ever done in his entire life. Neither were happy hedgehogs when it came time to get up, though their reasons for being so were completely different. Amy was in distress over her newfound feelings. Shadow was having what seemed to be a sugar high hangover.

"Amy." Shadow called, his voice raised somewhat higher than its typical low range. Jumping in her seat, her gaze shot up.

"What, what?" she asked excitedly, emerald eyes bulging.

"May I have my plate?"

"Hm?" She looked down at the plate before her. That's right, she had been cutting Shadow's pancake...

"Oh, yeah. Sorry..." she said, pushing it across the dining room table to him. "I must have zoned out..."

He grunted and started eating. Her eyes remained on him.

Shadow...Did he really? He hadn't spoken a word about yesterday nor was he acting any different around her. Did he remember what happened? Why did the prospect of him not remembering disappoint her?

_'What are you thinking, Amy? How could you lo...feel that way about Shadow?' _asked her inner voice.

_'I don't...Do I?' _she inquired in turn.

_'Shouldn't it be obvious? You felt it yesterday, didn't you?'_

_'Yes, but...I don't know! It was so sudden...How could I not feel it before? There weren't any signs or anything...'_

_'Do you need signs?'_

_'How else am I supposed to know if it's real? With Sonic...Sonic!'_

How could she be thinking of Shadow when she loved Sonic? He was her dream, her soul mate, her one and only...Right? Wait, was she honestly second guessing it? No, this couldn't be...Sonic was the guy for her. And that was final. Did Shadow make her heart flutter? No. Did Shadow give her stomach butterflies? No. Did images of Shadow fill her dreams? No.

Sure, she cared deeply for Shadow, but as a friend. She loved sitting beside him and stroking his quills, watching him relax under her touch. She loved teasing him, secretly knowing he enjoyed her games despite his grumpy exterior. She loved how he occasionally showed her a gentleness he probably never showed to anyone else. And there were so many other things about him: his crimson eyes, his deep voice, his smirks, his scowls, that priceless smile...

Amy sucked in a sharp breath. How had she failed to see it? The bigger picture...like a puzzle with its pieces scattered. She had fallen in love with the pieces, never realizing there was a connection between them. She thought they were complete in themselves, but they were only parts of a whole! And if she loved all of that picture's individual pieces...when she brought them together, fitting each one into its proper place...wouldn't she feel even more strongly for the whole they formed?

_'...Amy, you are an idiot...' _That was a definite fact.

Coming out of her thoughts, she returned her attention to Shadow. Sitting motionless with a slice of pancake in his hand, the black and red hedgehog appeared petrified. His muzzle was aflame.

Amy knew almost immediately what was wrong and she dreaded it just as much as him.

"Shadow?"

"...What?" Came his trancelike response. He didn't dare look at her.

"You remember?"

"...Yeah..."

She couldn't think of anything more to say.

**ooOOoo**

The day slipped by. Few words were spoken. As evening arrived and the house grew dark, Amy decided to make an effort to ease the tension between Shadow and herself. She popped in a movie. An hour into it, however, both she and Shadow, sitting on opposite ends of the couch, were lost when it came to the plot. Their heads just weren't in it.

_'We need to talk.' _Amy kept telling herself. Yet she was too scared to death to say anything. What was she afraid of? His confirmation? His denial? And what would she say? She couldn't accept him because of Sonic...but could she reject the feelings pulsing through his and her own heart? Did she have a choice in the matter?

"Amy..."

She jumped. For the second time that day, Shadow near startled the sense out of her.

"Y-Yes?" she answered, turning her head to face him. His gaze stayed glued to the television screen, though.

There was a long pause before he spoke again. "Forget it ever happened."

She frowned. Had she heard him right?

"It means nothing." he said. "You should forget it ever happened. I will do the same."

Her confusion dispersed...and a fire flickered in her eyes.

"You want me to just forget how you feel?" she asked him incredulously.

"It would go better for us that way." His tone was void of emotion and it only added to her annoyance.

"Shadow, we just can't pretend nothing happened. That's not gonna solve anything."

"It is the logical thing to do."

"Logical? Shadow, what are you talking about?"

"To concern ourselves any longer with this would be time wasting and foolish. There is nothing to gain in the matter."

Anger rising, she clenched her fists. "So, you're just gonna throw your feelings out the window?"

"...What would you have me do?" he asked softly. Amy was taken aback.

"You are in love with Sonic, Amy." he pressed on. "And even if you weren't...I cannot feel this way for you. I cannot walk the same road as you...It was foolish of me to want any of this. For a moment I believed I could grasp it, but I was deceiving myself. All of this has been a pointless waste of time..."

His words stabbed the very core of her heart. How could he say that? How could he unfeeling trash everything they had done together? Everything they were? She wouldn't stand for it!

"L-Listen, Shadow." she said, voice wavering with emotion. "I know you're immortal. And I know how hard that has to be on you-"

"You don't know anything about me." he interrupted icily.

"Yes, I do!" she declared as a surge of anger suddenly overwhelmed her. "I do know you, Shadow! You hate cold and rainy weather, your left ear twitches whenever you're annoyed, and you like massages and soap operas and clothes and sky gazing and long baths and the color green and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies more than any other kind of cookie!"

Shadow stared in shock at the puffing female.

"You...You think I'm pretty. An 8 to be exact." she continued with a little smile. "And you would like to see Bell end up with Jake instead of Ed because he reminds you too much of yourself. But more than anything, you like being here...with me...And that's all that matters to me, not the fact that you're immortal. You're...You're all that matters and I...Shadow, I..."

She couldn't say it. The words simply refused to form on her tongue. The feeling was there, flowing through her veins, engulfing every fiber of her being, crying out in a silent scream and begging her lips to utter the sound. But she couldn't. Her heart was pleading for her to give in, but she just couldn't do it. Wasn't she in love with Sonic? Her Sonic, her dream...She had swore to herself that she would never let him go. Was she willing to break that promise? For Shadow?

The ebony hedgehog caught her hesitance and his expression darkened. Within a fleeting second he rebuilt the brick wall Amy had spent weeks deconstructing, the wall she had pulled down to reach the vulnerable heart behind it. He had gone too far and allowed himself to feel too much. But now he would amend his mistake...

"As I said before, it means nothing." he repeated. "Forget it ever happened. I'll be gone soon anyway..."

Her tear filled eyes came to rest on him again, but he had turned away. Shame weighed heavily upon her shoulders. She had seen the glimmer of hope in his eyes...and she snuffed it out as easy as extinguishing the weak flame of a candle with a single blow.

She swallowed, but the painful lump in her throat refused to leave. Her mouth opened...and closed. What could she say? Nothing, absolutely nothing...

Slowly, Amy looked back at the television screen as the credits began to roll...


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Sixteen _(Set apart this dream II)_

Amy opened her eyes to find herself standing in her room between the bed and the window.

_'Odd...' _she thought, though what was odd she couldn't tell. Her surroundings looked normal enough, and yet...she got the feeling something was off about the place.

She turned her face to the window. A brilliant white light was streaming in, but her eyes were strangely unharmed by its intensity. Accompanying the dazzling display was a distant ringing symphony, chimes laughing somewhere far far off, the sound carrying over many miles...

_'Starlight...' _Somehow she knew that was what it was.

She stretched forth her arm and the light wrapped around it with a serpentine grace, starting at her wrist and moving up to her shoulder. Its warmth caressed her neck and stroked her cheek. She vaguely thought it smelled like magic.

Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply. A breeze wafted into the room through the window.

_forget it ever happened (i tried and i cannot...)  
><em>

_it means nothing (it means everything to me...)  
><em>

_what would you have me do?_

She opened her eyes_._ Her outstretched hand had clenched into a fist and within it she felt...a pulse. His pulse...Her brow furrowed. She had thought he had taken it from her. After the hurt she had caused him, she thought it had been snatched away, lost to her forever. But here, right now, she could feel the steady beat in her grasp. It was faint, but it was not gone. It was still hers...And that meant there was still hope.

_'Hope...' _That was it, wasn't it? She had to have hope that things would turn out alright. She had to be strong and face the future with steadfast courage. For the both of them...she had to fight.

She smiled softly and pulled her arm in, placing her fist over her heart.

_'I'm sorry I hurt you. For now on I'll be gentle. Promise.'_

The breeze ruffled her quills lightly and then was gone. She looked away from the window, gaze trailing to the bed. Dozens of glowing green eyes greeted her there. She was not surprised to see them.

Time seemed to come to a stop. The silhouettes stared at her and Amy stared back. The question was in their eyes, the answer was in her silence. She had made her decision and couldn't be tempted to change her mind. They had no other choice but to accept it.

And so, all at once, each silhouette raised a hand and...waved goodbye. Their bodies began to slowly disappear, fading out of existence. Soon the only trace of them remaining was the echoing glow of their eyes, emerald embers growing dimmer and dimmer...and then vanishing completely into nothingness...

The sadness gripped her heart, but his pulse against her chest comforted her. He was here and she would never be alone.

_'It'll be alright. We'll be fine. I know you don't think so, but I won't give up. I'll be strong and carry us forward...When you are hopeless, I'll have enough hope to cover the both of us...'_

The starlight flooded the room and Amy's vision was engulfed by its blinding white...

**ooOOoo**

Her eyelids cracked open. Where was she? Ah, yes, the living room...She had been reading a book, hadn't she? At some point she must have dozed off...

Amy sat up, rubbing her eyes. She stretched and yawned, then dropped her arms heavily and fell back into the cushions. Drowsily, she looked around. Her gaze stopped at the window.

The sun was shining...

How come she had never noticed how beautiful the sunlight was? She would have to start paying more attention to these things. The everyday things, the little and seemingly insignificant things...She wouldn't bypass them anymore. There was a certain kind of hidden magic in them. And you could only see it if you paused and took time to observe. For now on, she would do just that. She would take her time and listen, watch, and wait for the magic...Even if she had to wait an eternity for it to reveal itself...

She smiled.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Seventeen _(The last night)_

The call had finally come from Tails. His shrink ray was ready. Amy could pick it up at any time she chose, even today if she wanted. At last, Shadow would be returned to his proper size and he could move on and put this nightmare behind him. He was done with waiting. Today he was going to get his life back.

"Tomorrow."

Crimson orbs stared into emerald pools. "What?"

"Tomorrow." Amy repeated. "I'll take a bus down to Tails' place first thing in the morning."

"Why can't you go today?"

"I have something else I need to do today."

Shadow was less than pleased to hear this.

"And what exactly is so important that you can't wait until a more convenient time to do it?" he asked, glaring at her.

She smiled at him cryptically. "You'll see..."

Grabbing her crutch, she rose out of the bed.

"I'm gonna take a quick shower and then I'll give you a nice long bath. In the meantime, try to lighten up a little, will you?" She said and gave him a meaningful wink. His scowl deepened.

What in the world was that girl planning?

**ooOOoo**

Shadow spent the day watching television and sulking while Amy bustled about. He hadn't the slightest idea of what she was up to, but he knew he wouldn't like it once he found out.

He should have been gone by now. Tails had finished working on his invention so what were they still waiting for? He was sick and tired of this height and this house and that bush and her face and her voice and her eyes...

_'Liar.' _He grimaced. Okay, fine. Maybe he wasn't sick and tired of all of those things, but he was eager to get back to normal. Then he could go home where everything was quiet and peaceful, no bubbly pink hedgehogs around to disturb his tranquility. Everything would be as it once was.

_'Yeah, really looking forward to that.' _his inner voice commented sarcastically.

He scowled. _'Shut up.'_

Without warning the television screen went black. Shadow blinked, surprised by how dark the room was. It was that late already?

"Shadow."

He turned his head and there she was, quills and clothes disheveled, face a bit worn but smiling with a mysterious glint in her eyes, clearly visible despite the dim light.

"Come on." she said. "You need to get dressed."

Dressed? For what? He questioned her with his eyes, but instead of elaborating, she merely stood there smiling. Their gazes locked. Every ounce of good sense in him urged him to look away from those entrancing orbs before it was too late and he lost himself in the vibrant green sea, its waters calm and yet dangerous. For a siren dwelled in those waters for sure, singing out, trying to lure him under the surface where he would suffocate. But oh, would that really be such a terrible thing? At least he would perish surrounded by sparkling emerald green...

"Shadow."

Her voice rescued him. He blinked and the spell was broken. But it didn't matter. He knew he had already been defeated.

"Are you coming?"

He should say no. He should demand they go to Tails this instant and stop fooling around. That was the smart thing to do. Smart...and impossible. He found himself unable to even muster up a glare or a satisfactory frown. The fight just wasn't in him.

"...Yeah..." _'When did you become so weak?'_

"Then come on, let's go." she beamed and started for her room.

Silently he obeyed, rising from his seat and hopping off the couch, trailing at her heels...

**ooOOoo**

"Okay, you're all set." said Amy, adjusting Shadow's pink tie. "Now, you just head to the backyard and take a seat. I'll be out soon."

"If we're going to the backyard, why don't I just take the back door?" he asked.

"Because I'm making you take the front."

He raised an eyebrow. She smiled and examined him, the porch light casting a golden glow upon his form.

"You look really handsome, Shadow." Boy, did he ever.

The ebony hedgehog coolly diverted his gaze. "The tie is pink."

"But you don't really mind, do you?"

"...I don't know where you come up with these conclusions."

"I've been paying attention, Shadow."

She playfully tugged his black suit jacket and then stood.

"Give me ten minutes, 'k?"

He said nothing and she stepped back inside the house, closing the door. The seconds crawled by at a snail's pace. He closed his eyes, breathed in deeply, and exhaled. Why was he letting her do this to him? Hadn't they made things clear with each other? It was over. Their relationship was through. For three days after their confrontation they hardly spoke a word to one another and Shadow had had every intention of keeping it that way. But all of a sudden, Amy reverted to her chipper self yesterday. She talked and she teased and she smiled. He didn't understand.

_'What is she trying to accomplish?' _he asked himself. _'And why am I not resisting it?'_

The answer was obvious.

Shadow opened his eyes and looked at the door.

He shouldn't be going along with this, but he couldn't deny that he wanted to. And was it so wrong? If only for one more night, could they be friends again?

_'Foolishness.' _he thought. And turning around, he began walking. Down the porch steps, past the sleeping pink blossoms...Funny, he felt lighter for some reason. Perhaps it was the crisp night air.

Round the corner, one step, two step, three step, four...He was making the wrong decision. He should head back to the house and tell Amy he wasn't interested in her games. It would be a lie which would spare them both from a world of grief.

Five step, six step, seven...His head called for his feet to stop. They stubbornly continued forward.

Eight step, nine step, ten...Almost there...Getting closer...Go back...No, just one last night...

Shadow halted. His breathing hitched. Like startled birds, his conflicting thoughts dispersed rapidly and his mind was left blank. Wide eyed, he stared at the scene in front of him.

Lights...they were everywhere. The trees were wrapped with them, trunks aglow, white stars threading through their branches and hanging across the open space to connect the two plants. The bushes were similarly adorned and six poles had been erected in the middle of the yard, positioned to create a circle. On top of each pole sat an elegant lantern that held a steady flame.

Well, this explained why she made him use the bushes in the front today.

Shadow swallowed, bemused and awed. He couldn't take it in.

"You don't think I went overboard, do you?" her voice crept up behind him.

Words eluded him.

"You can't imagine how hard it was to climb those trees with this ankle. I was probably lucky that I didn't end up breaking it."

"...You climbed the trees?" he asked slowly, trying to snap out of his daze, something which was proving to be quite the challenge.

"How else would I get the lights up there, silly?"

At last the ability to move returned to him and he looked at her. His heart near ceased to beat.

She smiled, the earlier weariness gone from her face. Her eyes glittered like diamonds and she shyly brushed her quills from her cheek. "I thought you might like the color..." she said.

Hell, he liked far more than the color. The dress was strapless with a flowing skirt that stopped right above her knees. In the light of the backyard it shimmered green. She wore no shoes or makeup and he was glad for the latter. Cosmetics would only hide her dazzling naturalness.

"I would, you know, twirl for you and everything, but I don't want to press my luck with my ankle."

He swallowed a second time, unable to tear his eyes away from her. "I see...You don't have your crutch."

"I won't need it tonight."

This had definitely been a bad idea...and he wasn't regretting it.

**ooOOoo**

Amy and Shadow took their seats inside the circle of lanterns. A picnic blanket had been spread out there, topped with Shadow's favorite foods, including peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

"You made all this today?" Shadow asked disbelievingly.

"I did everything today."

His gaze shot up to her. "What?"

"Well, I got the idea this morning after Tails called." she shrugged. "I had to buy a bunch of stuff in a hurry, but I had a super fast delivery boy."

It took a moment for the name to hit him. "Sonic." he guessed without hesitance. Who else could it be?

"Yep. Fortunately he was willing to help me out a bit even after our talk yesterday."

"You talked to him yesterday?" For heaven's sake, was he in the dark about everything?

Amy bit into a buttery biscuit. "Mmhm. He called and we talked for a little while. I asked him if we could be friends."

"Friends?" Shadow repeated, unsure of her meaning.

"Yep. He didn't believe me at first and then he sounded pretty sad, but Sonic's not the type to stay bummed. I called him today and asked if he could buy some stuff real quick for me, and he said sure. He brought everything to the backyard and even offered to help me set it all up, but I wanted to do it myself."

"Why?"

"Oh, well..." she smiled and shrugged again. "Just a whim, I guess. Which reminds me..."

She turned to a nearby stereo and pressed the "play" button. Music was soon flowing out softly from its speakers.

"There. Now everything is perfect." she declared, looking very pleased with herself.

Shadow's head was spinning. Too much was happening in such a short amount of time and he was overwhelmed. Amy's romantic pursuit of Sonic was over? No, he must have misunderstood her. Amy couldn't give up Sonic just like that. And to be completely casual about it, speaking of it like it was something as simple and unexciting as buying a loaf of bread from the store? Impossible...

"Shadow, is everything alright?" her voice pleasantly intruded upon his mental debate. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

He stared into her eyes. He had to know for sure.

"Amy...are you serious?" he asked.

"As the plague." she grinned, raising her right hand.

His brow furrowed. "Why?"

"For you, of course. Why else?" She finished off her second biscuit, licking the butter off her fingers. "Oh, these are so good. Come on, Shadow, eat! I didn't make all this stuff just for me!"

Stupefied, he simply sat motionless but for the occasional blink of his eyes. Amy didn't mind his staring, though. She could never grow tired of seeing those blazing rubies.

The meal passed by with little conversation.

**ooOOoo**

_...If we never found this love..._

The flames of the lanterns had been blown out. Lying in the grass beneath the two trees, the two hedgehogs stared above at the hanging lights. Amy admitted they weren't as captivating as stars. Shadow grunted and was content with them.

_...If we never took that road..._

She brought up the recordings of their word games. Told him how she used them to get to know him better. To get closer to him. He asked how much she figured out about him. She said she didn't know. The following silence was comfortable.

_...If we hadn't had the heart..._

At length, she asked him if he would leave as soon as he was returned to his normal size. He didn't answer. She knew that was a "yes".

_...We wouldn't have this home_

She promised she would wait for him to come back. He closed his eyes, breathed in deeply, and exhaled.

The quietness of night settled between them and was not disturbed again.

_...Love...love will take you..._

_...Love...love will take you there..._

_...Love...will take you..._

_...Love...love will take you there..._


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Eighteen _(Together, don't let go-Together, let's move on)_

She awoke bright and early just like every day.

He cracked his eyelids five minutes after she got out of bed, but stayed lying with his face towards the ceiling for a full fifteen minutes longer.

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

_-Today was the day-_

_-He did not see her before she left-_

_-A plate of breakfast had been made for him-_

**oo**

**oo**

She took a quick shower, humming cheerily to herself as she washed her quills.

He took a long bath, sitting in the tub with his eyes closed until the water grew lukewarm.

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

_-The wait seemed forever-_

_-He heard her arrival-_

_-He steeled his heart-_

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

She made pancakes for breakfast, his plain and hers filled with blueberries. It wasn't until she was finished cooking and carrying two plates to the bedroom that she remembered.

_'Oh, silly me!' _She shook her head, rolling her eyes and smiling humorously. Her chest ached. She did her best to ignore it.

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

_-She enlarged his clothes first-_

_-The pink blanket wasn't forgotten either-_

_-She folded and packed everything into a single suitcase-_

_-He watched and said nothing-_

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

The milk was curdled. The bread was infected with mold. He did not trust the eggs. Crackers would have to do. He wasn't that hungry anyway.

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

_-"Okay, are you ready?"-_

_-"I was ready yesterday."-_

_-"Really?"-_

_-"..."-_

_-He made sure not to make eye contact-_

**oo**

**oo**

Cream paid her a visit. She was glad for the company.

"How have you been?" the floppy eared rabbit asked her.

"Pretty good. And you?"

"I've been doing good, too."

They talked happily for an hour.

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

_-She pointed the machine at him-_

_-Her finger lingered on the trigger-_

_-He waited-_

_-She wanted to say something but was lost for words-_

_-He gazed sideways at the wall-_

_-She smiled sadly and knew there was no use delaying it-_

_-Her finger pulled the trigger-_

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

She sat on the living room couch and watched the latest episode of their favorite soap opera.

...He did the same.

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

_-"Here's the directions to your place. Are you sure you'll be able to get there alright?"-_

_-"Yeah..."-_

**oo**

**oo**

Sometime during the episode she began to cry, tears blurring her vision. She let them fall unhindered and continued watching the screen.

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

_-He picked up the suitcase-_

_-She opened the door-_

_-He paused just before walking out-_

_-His eyes stared ahead-_

_-She wished he would look at her-_

**oo**

**oo**

The show was over. She clicked off the television, wiped away her tears, and picked up her book.

He stared through the device, not realizing the program had ended, his thoughts far off.

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

_-"...Thank you..."-_

_-She smiled-_

_-"If you ever get shrunk again you know where to come. And I promise for now on I'll look before I step out."-_

_-He allowed a small smirk-_

_-"I'll hold you to that..."- _

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

Night snuck up on them.

He retired an hour ahead of her.

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

_-"Goodbye, Shadow..."-_

_-His gaze lowered-_

_-He was tempted to look-_

_-He walked forward without giving her a reply-_

_-She understood-_

_-The door didn't shut until he had disappeared completely down the road-_

**oo**

**oo  
><strong>

She curled into her bed and hugged his pillow to her face, inhaling his scent. That pillow wouldn't be washed anytime soon.

Smiling dreamily, she closed her eyes.

_'Goodnight, Shadow...'_

And she fell asleep.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Nineteen _(Magic Hope Love)_

If not for the light emitting from the television screen, the tiny apartment living room would have been swallowed by the darkness of night. Shadow lounged in a leather chair. He would typically be in bed by this time, but he wasn't in the mood for sleeping. It was the second night he was spending away from her...and it didn't feel right.

_'It is right.' _he told himself. It was the truth, he knew. She was better off without him. Hopefully, Sonic would be able to win her back soon and she would stop waiting foolishly for the impossible to happen...

The thought made him frown. It wasn't going to be easy to get over this. He would just have to stay away for awhile. A very long while. If he had learned anything from observing people, it was that these kind of feelings rarely ever lasted for a substantial amount of time. A few years perhaps, but the desires and the passions eventually fizzled out. And if Amy could move on from Sonic, she could move on from him as well.

His frown became a glare. He really needed to quit thinking about her.

_"Shadow..." _

Every muscle immediately tensed in his body. He did not want company right now, especially not hers.

_"Shadow..." _she called again. He clenched his teeth, determined to ignore her.

_"Please, Shadow, we need to talk."_

Oh, so now she wanted to talk after all the crap she had put him through was over. Hell. He didn't have anything he wanted to say to her and she had nothing to say that he was willing to hear.

_"Please, give me a chance." _Her voice was pleading. He could care less.

_"Shadow, I promise it will be the last time I ever trouble you. Just hear me out this once."_

Cold silence.

_"Please?"_

Inhaling a deep breath, he closed his eyes and released the air from his nostrils. She really wasn't going to let him be unless he allowed her to say her peace. Fine then.

He opened his eyes. _'You have two minutes.'_

_"Thank you, Shadow." _she said and he imagined her smiling gratefully.

_'Don't waste your time.'_

_"I won't. Shadow...I have to start by saying that it was never my intention for things to happen this way." _she began.

He almost scoffed. _'You damn well fooled me.'_

_"Please understand, I granted your wish and sent you to Amy so that you could learn about true friendship. Because of her loving heart and understanding spirit, I knew she would be the best choice out of everyone. I only meant to give you a friend, Shadow. To end your lonliness. I've been in your place and I know how it feels. But I truly didn't mean for everything else to happen. I never imagined you would develop feelings for one another. I didn't think you would open your heart so much to her..."_

_'...You were watching?'_

_"The entire time."_

Shadow's expression softened slightly. _'...What happened was a mistake. I was a fool and now she will suffer for it...'_

_"...You are not completely to blame for her decision."_

_'What do you mean?'_

_"I..." _she faltered. _"I gave her a little push in the direction..."_

The anger returned full force. _'Why?' _he growled.

_"...I was...I wanted...I wanted her to be with you..."_

_'Absurd.'_

_"Is it, Shadow?"_

_'You know very well that it is.'_

_"...Yes, I suppose I thought the same at first." _the star admitted. _"When I saw the change in your feelings towards her, I thought I had made a grave mistake in sending you there. I didn't want to see you hurt. But as your feelings grew stronger and stronger, and I saw that Amy felt the same despite not knowing it herself, I...I couldn't stop it...I wanted it to happen...And you wanted it to happen, too, Shadow."_

He neither denied nor affirmed it.

_"And I felt-I knew that even if it couldn't last, it was right for it to happen. Maybe I had no business getting involved, but would you have honestly preferred if your and her feelings never came to light?"_

His eyes fell. It was answer enough.

_"Shadow, you and Amy are meant to be together." _said the star._ "You know it as well as I do."_

_'...Why do you even care so much?' _

_"...I care because I..."_

There was a heavy pause. The muted sounds of the television kept the room from being overwhelmed by the silence.

_"...I care because I love you."_

Shadow's head jerked up. His eyes widened. There, in front of him, she stood clothed in long and elegant white robes, silvery hair cascading down her back. Her fur was the color of fresh fallen snow, her eyes were the clearest turquoise blue. Two long, thin tails flowed out behind her. Her form radiated with a pale light.

She was...a kitsune...

A little smile graced her lips. _"Did you think I was just a ball of light?" _she asked teasingly. Her mouth didn't move when she spoke.

_'It seemed a reasonable enough conclusion...' _he replied, stunned by her amazing beauty. She looked far older than her voice implied.

_"You are a very reasonable hedgehog. But Shadow, you can't live your life by sound logic alone._ _Sometimes we must take risks, even when we know the consequences could be painful. The greatest regret of all can be the knowing that you never tried."_

_'...There is nothing I can do...' _

_"No," _she agreed. _"But perhaps there is something I can do. My magic is the weakest of my clan for I only have but two tails. I have carried this shame for a hundred years. But Shadow, watching you grow so immensely over this short month has taught me to hope for those things which seem impossible. After all, I believed I would spend an eternity unnoticed, but that night you noticed me. Though I am small and insignificant, you did not despise me because of my size...Shadow, for a hundred years I had been waiting for you, never believing you would come. But the impossible happened. And if it happened once, why can't it happen again?"_

He stared at her, confusion etched into his furrowed brow. She smiled sadly and walked towards him, kneeling down at the foot of the chair. Her small hand reached up and cupped his cheek.

_"I know I cannot have you..." _She bit her lower lip, eyes glistening with tears. _"But perhaps there is still one wish I can grant..."_

Her gaze and hand trailed to his chest. She shut her eyes.

_"Nothing in this world is impossible..."_

The star breathed in and the magic started flowing forth. Shadow's mouth hung ajar, the otherworldly sensation entering into him something he had never before experienced. It was cool and refreshing. Slithering like a watery snake, it encircled his heart and expanded its liquid body until the whole of the organ was covered. Glowing turquoise lines swirled out from beneath her palm.

It wasn't enough. She concentrated harder.

The pressure in his chest increased and the magic gradually began to spread, traveling through his veins. A breeze swept around the room. The turquoise swirls on Shadow's chest pulled away from his fur and tried to extend themselves, but they lacked the strength. He could feel the magic weaken.

_"Nothing is impossible, nothing is impossible..."_

She frowned and gritted her teeth. The wind picked up speed, rattling the lamp shade, whipping her hair into her face. The turquoise swirls uncurled themselves as they stretched out and thickened, forming vine like wings, their light pulsing in time with his heartbeat. Behind them, the television screen turned to static. The light radiating off the star flickered.

_"Nothing is impossible..."_

The wind roared, churning furiously. She closed her eyes tighter, but the hot tears still managed to escape. Her light was flickering rapidly. Shadow's awe turned to horror.

_'Stop!' _he shouted. _'You're hurting yourself!'_

_"No, I can do this!" _she protested.

Just a bit more...

Shadow grabbed her wrist and attempted to wrench her hand from his chest, but she wouldn't budge.

_'Listen to me! It doesn't matter, things are fine the way they are!' _he said, desperate to reason with her.

_"It matters to me and it matters to her and it matters to you! I started this and I will see it end right!" _she declared.

The television was blown from its perch, crashing to the floor.

Crimson eyes wide and blazing, Shadow gripped her wrist with both hands, pulling with all his might.

_**"Enough!"**_

She gasped, eyes snapping open as a brilliant light flared up from her. It struck the windows and they shattered on impact. The leather chair was knocked backwards and Shadow along with it. Blinding white violently engulfed the entire room. And then...darkness. Quiet and calm darkness...

**ooOOoo**

_"Wake up...Please, wake up..."_

She knew that voice. Hm, and what was this? He was holding her...This was a new feeling. No one had ever held her in such a tender way before. She liked it.

_"Star, wake up..."_

She tried to open her eyelids, but she was too tired. That was unfortunate. It would've been nice to see him one last time.

_"Star..."_

His voice was fading away. No, she was fading away. They had warned her, hadn't they? She wasn't strong enough to do it, they said. She would fail in the end, because that was the only thing she was good for. Failing.

But wait, did she fail this time? No...No, she didn't! She could feel it...She had succeeded! And that was all she wanted. To make them happy...him happy...herself happy...

And she was.

_'Shadow, I love you. I loved you the moment you first looked at me. I know you would call it illogical, but it is the truth. That night I knew the purpose of my existence was to change your fate. And I have accomplished that purpose. Now I must depart. I am sorry we couldn't have been closer friends, but I won't be sad. I will go happily...Amy will have to take care of you for now on...Don't worry, you'll be alright...'_

Smiling, she breathed her last. Her light went out.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Little ShaDows**

Chapter Twenty

Pulling her baked goods out of the oven, Amy Rose took in their heavenly scent with a deep breath. Ah, so warm, so wonderful...Was there any smell greater than that of fresh peanut butter chocolate chip cookies?

_'You know, there's like a zero percent chance of him coming today.' _her inner voice informed her.

_'I'd say it's more 50/50.' _thought the ever optimistic pink hedgehog.

_'He's not going to come around in a matter of weeks, Amy. This is Shadow we're talking about.'_

Amy rolled her eyes. _'It hasn't just been a matter of weeks. It's been a total of thirty-four days, eight hundred sixteen hours, and forty-eight thousand, nine hundred sixty minutes, not including today. If you ask me, that's more than enough time.'_

_'...You are hopeless.'_

_'Yep!' _she agreed cheerily and set the tray of cookies down on the kitchen counter. She then spent a moment examining her handiwork.

_'There's only a small chance, I know, but...it can't hurt being prepared.'_

She smiled and nodded to herself, taking off her oven mitts. The idea of baking his favorite cookies every week came to her yesterday night and she had gotten to it this afternoon. Sure, if he didn't come she was going to have to eat them herself or give them to friends, but that was alright with her. She just needed to have a constant reminder of him around, something that bore a strong attachment to him. The pillow had lost his scent...

Her eyes watered. She shook her head, wiping them and chuckling. These days she cried much too easily.

The ring of the doorbell helped her shake off the sad feelings.

_'Come on, Ames. Pull yourself together!' _she chided while making her way to the front door. She undid the lock, turned the doorknob, and plastered a big happy smile on her face as her visitor was revealed. Her eyes met his.

"Amy." he said simply.

She shrieked and slammed the door shut.

**ooOOoo**

Shadow raised an eyebrow. He hadn't been sure of what to expect from her when she saw him, but having the door slammed in his face? That was...surprising, to say the least.

A minute later the door was flung open again, but before he had an opportunity to make a sarcastic remark about her actions, he found himself coming under attack, assaulted by a barrage of words.

"Hi Shadow, sorry 'bout that, you just kinda startled me so don't think anything bad like I don't want to see you or anything cos I do and I was waiting like I promised, but I wasn't expecting you to come back, not like right now, though I was hoping you would cos I made these cookies just in case and I thought, you know, just in case you came over I'd make some cookies, so I made some cookies and here they are! Do you want some?" She held the plate of treats up to him, huffing and puffing. He blinked, shocked at her outburst. But within the moment, he collected himself and nonchalantly picked up one of the delicious treats.

"Thanks..." he muttered.

"You're welcome!" Amy beamed a little too ecstatically. Her grin, coupled with her wide eyes and disheveled hair and clothes, made the poor girl look half-crazed.

"I baked them especially for you, you know, just in case you stopped by and all, so you can have as many as you want!"

Shadow stared hard at her. The intensity of his crimson eyes sent shivers through Amy and it required all of her effort not to tremble. She swallowed and decided to try for conversation.

"Um, how have you been?" she asked.

"...Fine..."

"Your arm is all better?"

"Yeah...Your ankle?"

"Oh, it's good as new!"

"Hm..."

She swallowed once more, struggling to maintain her smile. The nerves were seriously getting to her. Her stomach was performing somersaults and her heart was racing at a thousand miles per second. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes.

_'Hold it together, Amy!' _ she told herself. She had to be stronger than this. What would he think of her if she were to break down right here in front of him? Would he see her as weak and pathetic? Would he walk away?

"Amy..."

Her eyes regarded him. His expression held a hint of concern.

"Is something wrong?" Shadow asked.

"Oh, no no. I'm alright." she lied, feigning a smile which didn't come close to reaching her eyes. "Would you, um, like to come inside for a bit?"

He looked away. "I have to get back to work soon."

"Oh...Wait, you work?"

"No, I sit around all day watching television and eating cookies." he deadpanned. She blushed.

"You know what I mean! You have a job? Like, not secret agent ninja, but a real, normal job?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I was never a secret agent ninja while working for G.U.N."

"You're not working for them anymore?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I quit."

"But why?"

"...I no longer desire that life." he said, gaze drifting off to the side. "I am no longer suited for it. Things have changed and I'm ready to move on from here..."

Her chest tightened. "You're...You're moving?"

"...Yes, I believe I am."

"Wh-Wh..." she paused, collecting herself. "Where to? Is it far?"

His eyes returned to her and the startling gentleness within them nearly caused her composure to crumble.

"No...it's not far. For a long time I didn't even believe the place existed, but two months ago I unexpectedly stumbled upon it. Because I didn't know how it would look or feel, for awhile I failed to recognize what it was that I had actually found. But now I know. There, in that place, is where I discovered a happiness unlike any other. And, until I return there, I can never be truly happy again. Amy, do you understand?"

The pink hedgehog was trembling, shoulders shaking and hands quivering so that the cookies rattled about in their plate. Her eyes blinked repeatedly, desperate to keep the tears in check. They were losing the fight.

"I-Is that what you came to t-t-tell me? That y-you're leaving?" she squeaked.

Shadow frowned. "Amy-"

"No, i-it's fine. It's alright. If you're hap...happy there, then I'll...I'll be happy for you. But I won't st-stop waiting, Shadow. I'll be here. I'll...I'll always be here. S-S-So if...if you ever want t-to come visit, just know I'll be...I'll be..."

The tears broke free. She couldn't do this. She couldn't be strong. When she had first seen him she thought her prayers were being answered. Her hope had soared. But he wasn't here to tell her he would die before he ever left her side again. No, he was here to tell her the exact opposite of that. He was leaving! And she couldn't understand it. She had believed that the only place where he had ever known true, genuine happiness was here, in this house with her. Had she been wrong? Was there really someplace else, someplace away from her that brought him happiness?

She honestly believed the sorrow would strangle the life out of her heart.

The plate of cookies was suddenly gently pulled out of her grasp. Amy's distress was too great for her to realize what was going on, even when she felt strong arms envelop her in a warm embrace, her own arms automatically encircling his torso. She sobbed into his chest, soaking the fabric of his t-shirt with her tears.

"Amy...you can be as dense as the Faker at times."

Ignoring his cryptic words, her crying continued.

"There's a box in my pocket. Pull it out." ordered Shadow.

The volume of her sobs lessened a bit.

"Amy, I need you to get it now. I have to get back to work."

She said something, but her muffled words were incomprehensible.

"Speak up, Amy."

She removed her face from his chest and spoke once more. "Which pocket?" she asked miserably.

"Front right."

Sniffling and keeping his body wrapped by one arm, she reached into the pocket of his jeans and jerked out a small, velvety black box. Lips pouting, she eyed the thing like it was her worst enemy.

"That's yours if you want it."

"What is it?" she snapped, angry he had so rudely cut short her crying session.

"A question for you to answer."

He ended his embrace and grabbed her arm which still held him, removing it from himself but not letting it go afterwards. Amy looked up at him quizzically.

"I'll come back at 6 for your answer." he told her.

"My answer?"

"Yes."

"At 6?"

"At 6."

She sniffed. Something major had just happened. This was obvious. What exactly was it? She hadn't the slightest idea. But he was coming back and knowing that lightened her heart a tiny bit.

Their eyes locked and Shadow was not afraid of the siren residing within her emerald green sea this time. There was no danger of drowning in those waters. It wasn't a sea of death, but of life.

He smiled. An honest to goodness smile. Amy's knees almost buckled.

"You will be here." It wasn't a question.

"I'll be here." she answered anyway. "Sha-Shadow..."

"What?"

She swallowed. "You're...You're wearing clothes."

"I know."

"...You look cool."

He smirked. "I know."

They stayed there for awhile, neither one wishing to break eye contact. The words were on the tip of Amy's tongue. She could feel them, the way they popped and sparked like firecrackers. Her lips began to part. Her heart rose to her throat. She was ready to say it. This time she wouldn't hold back. She started...and then stopped. His eyes had halted her tongue. Her world was swallowed by crimson fire. Blaring out the softest whisper, that fire blazed strong and touched softly. She felt the pulsing warmth, flames throbbing in time to his rabid heartbeat. Those eyes hid nothing. She peered into them and understood. Soundlessly, he spoke the very words she had waited so long to hear.

Amy closed her lips. Her eyes glistened with new tears, but they weren't unhappy. She inhaled and summoned all of her strength, all of her emotion, and all of her being and with this...she shouted those words back to him, loud and soundless. Shadow saw. And he understood.

"At 6." he repeated.

"At 6." she echoed.

He released her arm slowly, reluctant to leave. It was time for him to go, though. He would be late if he stayed any longer.

So, tearing his gaze from her, he turned and walked off the porch, still holding his cookie. Amy stood frozen, tracking his every move. He got on his motorcycle, the engine rumbled to life, and he left without a wave or a last look at her. She didn't mind.

An eternity passed. She finally remembered the box in her hand. He said it was a question she needed to answer...

She smiled. In that moment when he held her and she had buried her face into him, his scent had been what filled her thoughts. It was odd, and yet it wasn't. She loved that scent. Without a doubt it was the best scent in the whole wide world. So warm and comforting, the smell of...

_'Magic...'_

_...(The End)..._

To every reader and reviewer a hundred thank yous for your support during the writing of this story. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I'm going to miss this...but I am happy.

Thank you all.


End file.
